


When Evil Rises Again

by heartsflush



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Genre: Gen, Original Character-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-22
Updated: 2016-04-20
Packaged: 2018-05-08 11:23:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 23,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5495351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartsflush/pseuds/heartsflush
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thousands of years after the hero of the sky, a new threat rises. Will the power of one hero be enough to stop the world's end?</p><p>so of course my first published fic in years is something completely different than i've ever written before lmao</p><p>this is an idea that came up between me and two of my friends, and we decided to write it (well i decided to write it, they've made edits) so there u have it</p><p>updates will hopefully come weekly! i have most of it written but i still need to get the final chapters out. each chapter is titled with the character its POV is in. enjoy friends!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Leiah

_ “Leiah…” _

_ It was dark. Very dark. I appeared to be standing, but when I looked down, there was nothing under my feet. I turned around to get a look at my surroundings, but all I could see was black. _

_ “Leiah…” _

_ A voice called my name. I couldn’t tell where it was coming from, and that scared me. _

_ “Who are you?” I called back into the void,  _ _ confused more than anything else _ _. _

_ “Leiah...wake up…” the voice responded. Before I could reply, the darkness seemed to solidify around me and swallow me whole. _

 

“LEIAH!”

I sat up in my bed abruptly  and groaned . My mother was glaring at me from the side of the bed.

I yawned and stretched. “What, mom?”

“Did you forget? Today’s the day of the Sky Festival, and you have to watch  Vio .” I looked at her confusedly, still half-asleep, and she sighed. “The Sky Festival, Leiah. The anniversary of the day that the hero of the skies descended to the surface and rid the world of the Demon King, Demise?”

I yawned again,  starting to finally wake up . “Oh,  _ that  _ Sky Festival...yeah, I remember.”

“Then get up and get dressed! Vio wants to leave as soon as possible, and you know how he gets when he doesn’t get his way.”

The thought of my youngest brother getting sad was enough to get me out of bed. I waved my mom out of the room and opened up my dresser,  scanning my eyes across the many bland tunics and pants . Today, it felt fitting to don a green tunic, just like the heroes of legend wore.  After pulling on my pants and boots , I  went out into the hallway.

“LEIAH!” I jumped at the sound of my name and looked to my right to see Vio in his room, the door open. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, are you?” I replied. He nodded and ran out into the hallway. We walked towards the kitchen together. Our father was there cleaning some dishes.

“Oh hey, Leiah. You taking Vio?” I nodded, not awake enough to reply. “Grab some breakfast before you go. There’s a plate of muffins on the counter.” I nodded in thanks before taking one of the aforementioned muffins and started heading towards the door. Before I could open it, Vio tugged on the edge of my tunic.

“Are we gonna get money?” he asked me, staring up at me with adorable, innocent eyes. 

“I have some already, Vio,” I said, giving him a smile. He beamed back at me and I turned to open the door and go outside.

“Be safe, you two!” our father called back to us from the kitchen. I turned to wave at him, and Vio and I set out for the Temple of Hylia.

Vio skipped along the path beside me and hummed a little tune. I looked around at the gorgeous trees of Faron Woods. The village I lived in surrounded the Great Tree, the gigantic landmark in the center of the woods. It was always a hike to get to the Temple of Hylia, but it wasn’t an unpleasant one. Butterflies were scattered all around, and colorful mushrooms dotted the paths. Occasionally, if you were lucky, you could see a Kikwi waddling about.

When we got to a sandy incline, I picked Vio up and dashed up it. Vio let out a giggle and put his hands in the air. When I put him down to catch my breath, he smiled at me and said, “That’s always my favorite part.”

As we reached a winding path, I picked up Vio again and jumped up a nearby log. He held on to my shoulders and I climbed up the short cliff. 

“Yay, shortcut!” Vio exclaimed, giggling.

We walked a little while longer before coming up to the side of the temple. The structure loomed over us, casting a large shadow from the sun. I walked over to the door on the side and pushed it open.

Inside, the guardian of the temple, Deimos, turned to look at us.

“Ah, hello, Leiah. Vio,” she said, smiling.

“Hey, Deimos. We’re just passing through to get to the statue of Hylia,” I said, smiling back. She nodded and gestured to the door. 

“I wanna go now!” Vio said impatiently. I patted him on the head and we went towards the door. 

“Okay, Vio. To open up this door, we’re gonna need all of our strength,” I said to him. He nodded determinedly and started pushing on the door. I gave the door a big push as well, and it swung open. Sunlight filled the temple as we stepped outside into the Sky Festival.


	2. Zoran

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is mostly exposition but i think i'm guilty of wanting one of my favorite characters to appear too soon lol
> 
> fyi this chapter also contains my favorite line that i have ever written
> 
> enjoy!

I awoke to the sound of a knock at my door. I sat up in my bed, stretched, and gave the person permission to enter. Impa, my personal guardian, entered my room.

“Your highness, today is the day of the Sky Festival,” she said. I nodded, still half-asleep. “Your father, the king, has requested that you make an appearance in his stead.”

“He’s still sick, then?” I responded. Impa nodded solemnly. “I would have thought that after three weeks, the doctor would have found the cause of his ailment. I suppose not, though.” I stood up and faced Impa. “Is there anything else you needed?”

“No. A palace guard will be arriving shortly with the attire your father requested you wear,” she said. I raised an eyebrow, but thought nothing of it.

“You are dismissed, then,” I told her. She bowed and left the room, shutting the door behind her.

I walked over to the large stained-glass window on the right side of my room. It depicted the hero of the skies diving through a hole in the clouds to a lush, green forest below. The tail and talons of a large, crimson bird decorated the corner of the window. The bright sun streamed through the window, illuminating the room with rainbow hues. As I stared at it, I began to wonder if I could ever do something as magnificent as that hero once did.

I became so entranced by my thoughts that I completely missed the knock on my door. I only snapped out of it when I heard a muffled voice say, “Your highness? I have garments for you.”

Slightly bewildered, I told the voice to enter. A tall, lanky guard entered with a folded up piece of fabric in his hands. He set it down on the bed and bowed. I walked towards it and frowned when I saw what it was.

“This is...a dress.”

The guard swallowed. “Ah, yes, well, um...your father told me to tell you that the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom is usually a girl…and this was the only piece of traditional attire we had.”

I sighed. “Well, I’ll try anything once. You’re dismissed, thank you.” The guard bowed and left the room.

I picked up the dress by the shoulders, and it unfolded in front of me. It was the same dress that the Princess Zelda on the window by the courtyard wore; a white dress with a pink strip of fabric decorated with the Triforce design down the middle. The shoulders were covered by golden metallic epaulets, and a pair of white gloves had fallen onto the floor when the dress unfolded.

“Well, at least it’s a pretty dress,” I said before slipping it on. Surprisingly, it fit very nicely and was ten times more comfortable than anything else I had ever worn. I picked up the gloves and turned to a full-length mirror as I put them on. I looked stunning, to be quite honest.

“This settles it. I’m never wearing pants again.”

 

I knocked on the door to my father’s chamber softly. A voice from the other side granted my entry, and I opened the doors. Two guards stood by my father’s bed, and my father lay in the center of the bed on his back. He looked up at me and smiled when he saw my attire.

“It fits you very well, Zoran,” my father said weakly. “Is it comfortable?”

“Yeah,” I replied. “Why don’t we wear dresses more often?”

He laughed softly. “You’re just missing one thing. Luthien,” he said, addressing the guard to his left. “Bring out the crown.” The guard nodded and kneeled in front of a low shelf. He stood up holding a box. He walked over to me and opened the box. Inside sat a golden tiara with a red gem set in the middle. I sighed.

“Father, must I wear the tiara?”

“Yes, it matches the dress. It’s a symbol of your ancestry.” As I put on the tiara, he explained that it was the same tiara that all of the princesses who bore the Triforce of Wisdom wore. As the most recent in a line of royalty, he said I should be proud to wear it. “If anything, you only have to wear it for the duration of the day.”

I smiled sympathetically at him. “Are you sure you’ll be alright without me here?” I asked him.

“Oh, yes. Luthien and Alister are here to keep me safe. You needn’t worry about me,” he replied. I nodded, and he smiled.

“Your highness,” Impa said, walking through the door. “It is time for you to depart. His Majesty will be cared for in your absence.”

“I understand, Impa. Thank you,” I replied to her. I waved to my father and left the room, Impa shutting the door behind me.

 

The carriage bounced as it went over a bump in the road. I stared out the window at the passing trees. It was a beautiful sight, but it was like nature’s equivalent of watching paint dry in that moment. Suddenly, a black blur with a bright orange trail sped through the forest. It went so fast that the orange looked like fire. I jumped in my seat.

“Your highness, are you alright?” Impa asked, noticing the startled look on my face.

I ran a hand through my hair nervously. “Yeah, I just thought I saw something outside.”

“Perhaps it was an animal,” she suggested. “This region is known for its diverse wildlife.”

“Maybe,” I said. But there was one nagging thought in the back of my head: no animal in Faron Woods could run that fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave kudos if you like the work, and you're always free to tell me what you think in the comments!


	3. Leiah

“Festival!” Vio shouted, dragging me through the maze of stalls and attractions. I let myself be dragged along out of fear of disappointing him. The statue of Hylia was surrounded by merchants from every corner of Hyrule; Gorons, Mogma, and even a Parella in a basin of water could be seen selling their wares. Some stalls held games where kids could win prizes, and some were filled with goods from every region. At the front of the statue, the royal guard stood watching over the festival.

“Vio, slow down a little. You might see something you want,” I told him. He nodded at me and slowed down to a walk, grabbing my hand. The walk didn’t last for long, however, for he soon rushed over to a table run by a tall, fair-haired girl.

“Leiah! I want that one!” Vio exclaimed, pointing at a plush of a red bird.

“That’s a Crimson Loftwing,” the girl in charge said. “When the people of the sky still existed, they rode around on birds like this one. The Crimson Loftwing is said to be the rarest color of bird, and only the hero of the skies had one.”

“How much for it?” I asked.

“Twenty rupees.”

I gave Vio my wallet. “You wanna pay for it?”

“Yeah!” he said, beaming. He fished around in the wallet for a red rupee and put one on the counter. The girl put it away, then took the plush off its shelf and handed it to Vio.

“Thank you. Have a good day, miss!” she said, smiling and waving. I smiled back, then turned to get my wallet from Vio. Before I could, he gasped at something in the distance and ran off with it.

“Hey! Vio!” I yelled, running after him. He weaved in and out between people and stalls, and I did my best to keep my eye on him as he dashed through the marketplace. Multiple exclamations of “Sorry,” and “Excuse me,” left my lips before I finally saw him bump right into a long, white skirt.

“There you are!” I stood him up beside me and took his hand, then turned to the person in front of me. “I’m so sorry, miss…” I got a closer look at their face, and they turned out to be male. “I-I mean, sir,” I stammered. Then I saw the royal crest on the skirt. “I-I mean, your highness!” Once I realized that it was, in fact, Prince Zoran, I bowed deeply .

“It’s perfectly alright. No need to be formal,” he said. I stood up. “Your brother is a very fast runner.”

“Yeah, all of our family are,” I replied, not knowing what to say.

“Really? That’s interesting. Do you do sports?” he asked.

“If you count chasing after three younger brothers as a sport, then  yes, I do,” I replied. He laughed a little. There was an awkward silence for a moment, only to be broken by Vio.

“Hey, stop! That’s my sister’s wallet!” I turned around quickly to see a dark-skinned girl with fiery orange hair tucked back into a braid caught in the act of reaching for my wallet. She froze mid-reach and stared blankly at me with golden eyes. She then looked towards the prince, and then down at her hand. Her hand was glowing with the symbol of the Triforce.

“What?” she whispered to herself. “Why is my Triforce resonating?” She looked back at me, then stared at my hand. I looked down and saw a Triforce mark, the bottom right triangle glowing more fiercely than the others. I dropped Vio’s hand and held up mine in awe. The prince looked down at his hand as well. It also glowed with the symbol of the Triforce.

Unfortunately, the girl used our moment of confusion to grab my wallet and jump swiftly on top of a nearby market stall.

“Too bad I can’t stick around and chat, but it’s obvious I’m not really wanted here,” she said with a smirk.

“Who are you?” yelled Prince Zoran. “You’re in the presence of royalty! Speak honestly!”

“You really wanna know?” she asked. “I suppose I could tell you. The name’s Galatea, descendant of the Gerudo race, holder of the Triforce of Power, and now, this wallet.” She dangled my wallet in the air condescendingly. “And there’s nothing that you can--hey!”

During her little speech, Vio had climbed up the market stall and latched onto her leg. “Gimme back my sister’s wallet!”

“Let go of me, you little--ugh. I really need to stop monologuing,” she said. She shrugged and pulled out a small device. She used it to teleport away, taking Vio with her.

“Vio!” I yelled, running after him. Prince Zoran grabbed my wrist before I could make it very far, though.

“It’s no use. She’s gone,” he said.

“Oh, what am I gonna do?” I moaned. “Mom’s gonna kill me!”

“Go after her,” replied Prince Zoran. I looked at him like he was crazy.

“I can’t do that!” I exclaimed.

“ Yes, you can . You have the Triforce of Courage,” he replied. “You have the power within you to rescue your brother, and possibly save all of Hyrule.”

“Save Hyrule?” I said uncertainly.

“I fear that’s what may be necessary,” the prince said. “If this Galatea is anything like the last holders of the Triforce of Power, she’s going to try to destroy Hyrule. As you can imagine, that cannot happen.” I nodded,  understanding the severity of the situation .

“ That Galatea is gonna pay for taking my brother!” I exclaimed before realizing one tiny problem. “How am I supposed to take her on without a sword? The only thing I’ve used is one of the wooden swords we have at our house .”

Prince Zoran looked to the guard on his left. “Open the chamber of the goddess,” he commanded. The guard nodded and turned towards the statue. He pressed a small pendant shaped like the crest of the royal family to the wall, and the wall disappeared. “Follow me,” the prince said, gesturing to me. I hesitated, but then followed him into the statue.


	4. Leiah

The inside of the statue was a hollowed-out chamber with tall pillars holding up the structure. In the back, a stone surface with three gems stood below the crest of the royal family. In the center, a sword with a purple hilt stood solemnly in a block of stone.

Prince Zoran approached the sword and turned to me. “This is the Master Sword, the same blade that the hero once used to defeat the Demon King, Demise. As time went on, more and more heroes took need of the Master Sword. All of them bore the Triforce of Courage, just as you do,” he explained. “Thus, since you now bear the symbol of the Triforce, the sword is yours to command. Step forth and draw the blade.”

I was uncertain at first, but then I thought of Vio, left all alone with Galatea, and I changed my mind. I walked up to the sword and looked at it. It was covered in dust, as if it hadn’t been used in centuries. I took it with both hands and lifted it out of the stone pedestal, raising it in the air with my right hand. The Triforce symbol glowed softly on my hand.

“The blade is fitting for you,” remarked Prince Zoran. “With that tunic, you really do look like a hero.” I smiled. “You will need its sheath as well. Coryn,” he said to a nearby guard, “bring the hero her sheath.” The guard nodded, pulled the sheath out of a hole in the wall, and brought it to me.

“Thank you,” I said, taking the sheath and putting it on. I put the sword in the sheath and turned to the prince. “What now?”

“Well, it’s been rumored recently that a thief has been hiding out in an old mining facility in Lanayru. It’s not much of a lead, but it’s what we’ve got,” he said. “General Impa and I will escort you. But before you go, you should find a shield, and tell your family where you’re going.”

I nodded solemnly. It would be hard to convince my family to even let me go, but if that’s what I needed to do to save Vio, that’s what I was going to do.

 

“You did WHAT?!”

I winced as my mother screamed at me. I had tried to break it to her easily that Vio had been kidnapped, and as usual, she blamed the issue on me. As she yelled, the rest of my brothers and my father crept into the room silently.

“Look, I’m sorry! But we don’t have time to argue about it; I can save him !” I pleaded.

“No! After your slip-up today, you’re grounded!” she insisted. Father came up behind her and patted her on the back.

“Hey, maybe we should let her go. After all, Vio isn’t going to rescue himself,” he said.

“That may be true, but Leiah is just a child!” my mother exclaimed.

“Hey, I’m seventeen!” I protested. “And I can fend for myself.”

“How will you do that?” she asked condescendingly. I turned around  matter-of-factly and showed her the Master Sword.

“With this. There was lots of blame going around, but the only reason that the thief was able to get to Vio was because I  may or may not have been a little bit confused ,” I explained. “The piece of the Triforce within Prince Zoran resonated today. It resonated with the thief’s piece of Triforce, and…” I paused briefly.

“And?” my father asked.

“...and with mine.” I held up my hand, making sure the symbol was still there, then turned it around to show them. “I hold the Triforce of Courage.”

They were silent for a while, staring simply at my hand. After a while, my mom finally spoke.

“I...I see, Leiah. I guess I shouldn’t get in the way of your destiny, or whatever has to do with this Triforce stuff. But be sure to bring Vio back as soon as you can, okay?” She started to tear up, and I went over and gave her a hug. My father joined in, and all of my brothers as well. When the hug finally broke off, my mother gave a sniff. “And be sure to visit sometimes, if you can.” I nodded.

“Hey, before you go, you’re gonna need a shield, right?” my oldest brother, Redd, said. I nodded, raising an eyebrow as the next oldest, Alani and Blaine, left the room. Moments later, they came back with a shield bearing our family plaque.

“We were gonna give this to Redd when he left school, but I think you’ll have better use of it,” Alani explained. Blaine carried the shield over and handed it to me.

“This ups my cool factor by about a thousand,” I said, making Blaine laugh.

“Wait, sis!” exclaimed the next youngest brothers, Aoi and Indigo.

“We made you a cool hat to go with your tunic while you were gone today,” said Aoi. Indigo sheepishly took it out from behind his back and handed it to me. I took it with a smile and shortly after put it on, admiring myself in a nearby mirror before replying.

“Thank you, all of you,” I said to my family. “But as you said, Vio’s not gonna save himself, and I’ve got a royal escort waiting.” I turned to leave, then gave my family one last look as I headed out the door.

 

The carriage ride was quiet for the most part, outside of the occasional remark about the scenery. I spent most of the ride staring out the window thinking about Vio. Galatea didn’t seem like the torturous type, but who’s to say she didn’t have him locked away in some dusty prison cell? With every passing moment, I worried, either about Vio or about the fact that I was worrying.

When we finally arrived at Lanayru Desert, the carriage stopped. Impa stepped off and opened the doorway. I got out, but the prince stayed put.

“You’ll have to go the rest of the way on foot, I’m afraid. I’d go with you, but this isn’t exactly suitable attire for a desert,” he stated, gesturing to his long skirt. I nodded understandingly.

“Your highness, I will accompany Leiah to her destination, if that is alright with you,” Impa said. The prince nodded. “If you should need anything, ask the guard at the front of the carriage. He will attend to you.” She turned to look at me, and then started walking. “Come, Leiah. We have a long way to go.”

 

“Ugh, could this desert get any hotter?” I complained, slouching over as I walked. Ten minutes into the journey, we had seen no sign of Galatea or a mining facility anywhere. It was hot, humid, and full of sinksand that we had to dash across every other second. 

“Keep your wits about you, Leiah. This mining facility could be anywhere. You must be careful,” Impa told me. Deep down, I knew she was right, but I really didn’t want to admit it.

As we climbed up on top of a rock structure, we paused to survey the area. Impa pointed at a large structure in the distance. I squinted to get a better look at it. It was a sort of pyramid type thing made out of circles, and it towered over the desert like a monolith.

“That matches reports of the mining facility the thief was spotted in,” Impa stated. “We just need to get over there.”

“Well, if we walk on these rock structures, it’ll save us some sinksand running,” I offered. Impa nodded and started heading in the direction of the facility.

 

“How is this possible…” Impa said in awe. The mining facility looked fully operational. What’s more, the ground around it was covered in lush green grass instead of sand.

“Bzzrt! That’s simple!” a voice from the ground said. I looked down to see a tiny robot with big hands and a cute little face. “The great amount of Timeshift ore in this facility keeps it functional, even to people from the future, like you!”

“So you’re saying this area is in the past?” I asked, bewildered.

“Yes, ma’am!” the robot exclaimed.

“Good. You’re going to need the facility in working order if you want to track down that dirty thief in there,” Impa said snobbishly.

“Hey now, let’s lay back on the goddamn language,” said a voice from above. I looked up and saw Galatea perched on top of the facility, checking her nails with a nonchalant expression and the slightest hint of a smirk on her features.

“You!” I yelled. “What have you done with Vio?”

“Oh, the little kid that tried to give me cooties? He’s perfectly safe, don’t worry. The Aracha are taking great care of him,” she said with a giggle and an eye roll. “Anyway, if you’re absolutely sure about coming for me, you’re gonna need this.” As she finished her sentence, she tossed an item down at me. I caught it and stared at it, trying to figure out exactly what it was. It looked like a sack attached to a horn with intricate designs all over it.

“The Gust Bellows! I thought the royal family recovered that years ago!” Impa exclaimed.

“Well, whatever’s stolen by the royal family,” said Galatea, “I can steal back.” She winked and then pressed a switch with her foot, dropping her into the facility.

“She’s certainly a character!” buzzed the robot.

“Yes, a character indeed,” Impa replied, venom evident in her voice. “You’d better hurry, Leiah. Who knows what she’s done with your brother? Aracha aren’t known to be harmful, but if they survive for a thousand years, it’s said they become something far more sinister.”

“Right,” I said nervously. “Well, here goes nothing.”

I steeled my courage, fixed my tunic, took a deep breath, and walked down the steps into the facility.


	5. Leiah

As soon as I walked into the facility, I sneezed. Despite looking completely operational on the outside, the inside was covered in piles of dust. Little scorpion looking things skittered around everywhere. Nothing appeared to be on.

“You’d think a smart thief like Galatea would choose a more sanitary place to hide…”

As I progressed through the facility, I kept finding piles of dust everywhere. They wouldn’t budge, no matter what I did. Then, I thought of the item that Galatea threw at me. I didn’t particularly want to use it, since it could be a trap, but I decided that I could at least try it.

The Gust Bellows sucked air out from behind me and blew it out the front at incredible speed. The dust pile withered away within seconds, revealing a green rupee.

“Great! If only I had my _wallet_ …” I said to myself, throwing a glare to the ceiling as if Galatea would be there. I ignored the rupee and walked on.

 

In the main room of the facility, a motionless conveyor belt stood before me with a minecart on it. It didn’t look like there was any way to get around the minecart to walk on the conveyor belt, and it was far too risky to jump over it.

“I should have guessed she’d try to stop me from getting to her. Nothing as primitive as this struck me as her style, though…” I muttered to myself. I suddenly got the feeling I was being watched. I looked around for any sign of life, then heard a laugh from above me. Galatea sat perched atop a small structure seemingly hanging in the air. I drew my sword, and she laughed even harder.

“Are you gonna throw your sword at me?” she asked amusedly. “I don’t have to be that smart to tell you how bad of an idea that is.”

“What do you want?!” I shouted.

“Ooh, so touchy. And even after I came to help you…” She reached into a bag at her side and pulled out a small blue orb. When she did, the environment around her shifted. Gears started turning, noises like that of a factory resonated within the chamber, and everything became more vibrant.

“How did you do that?” I exclaimed.

“This facility used to be used to mine Timeshift ore, a mineral that allowed for the shifting of time in a particular area. They made orbs out of it, lots of em. If you take the orb somewhere, time will shift around you, and you’ll be about a thousand years in the past,” she explained. She tossed the orb down to me, and as it fell, the facility changed with it. “You’re gonna need that to get the conveyor belt running. But be careful with that thing. This place has lots of old security mechanisms, and when you walk by them with that orb, they’ll spring back to life too.”

I looked down at the orb, and then at the conveyor belt. I stepped towards the belt curiously, and as I approached it, it sprung to life. I looked up to where Galatea was, but she had already left.

“Why would she help me…?” I wondered out loud.

I hopped on the conveyor belt and let it carry me towards the end of the giant room. Along the way, little round sentries started popping up, just like Galatea had mentioned. They shot little balls of electricity at me, which I deflected back with my shield. Then, they sent these little propeller orbs at me, which I slashed with my sword. After I did that, the sentries were destroyed.

At the end of the long chamber, there stood a giant door with an oddly shaped hole in it. On the ground beside it, an oddly shaped gold carving lay forgotten. I picked up the carving and looked closer. It actually matched the shape of the hole! I fit the carving into the door and it opened, revealing a round chamber full of dust.

I walked to the center of the room, looking around for any sign of Vio or Galatea. It was really too dusty to see anything, though, so I whipped out the Gust Bellows and started cleaning up.

“You know, it’s rude to clean your host’s living space for them.”

I looked up, and suddenly Galatea dropped down in front of me.

“Nice to see you finally get here, though. I was beginning to get a little impatient. I honestly didn’t know how slowly that conveyor belt moved…”

“Where’s my brother?!” I yelled, drawing my sword.

“Relax, the little rascal’s with one of my, um, subordinates,” she said.

“Is he with a monster?! How dare you!” I yelled, running towards her. She jumped back and put her hands in front of her.

“Hey, I never said monster! Put down the sword, and let’s talk--”

“No! You took my brother, and you’ve put him in danger! I’m not going to talk with someone like that!” I shouted, charging at her again.

She sighed. “If you insist…” She jumped to the side and pulled out two short curved swords. Their golden hilts gleamed in the small amount of sunlight in the chamber. As I charged at her again, she just deflected my sword slashes easily. It was as if she could predict every move I made. When she grew tired of deflecting my attacks, she kicked me in the chest, sending me flying across the room. I tried to sit up, but pain in my chest prevented me from doing so fully.

“Look. I really don’t think I’m your real enemy here,” she said, walking towards me.

“B-but you kidnapped my brother...and the Triforce…” I said weakly.

“First of all, I didn’t kidnap him. At least, not willingly. He didn’t shake himself off my leg before I teleported away. Second of all, just cause I have the Triforce of Power, doesn’t mean I wanna destroy the world or whatever it is you think I’m gonna do.”

She was in front of me by now, looking down at me.

“You mean, you’re not actually evil?” I asked.

“No,” she replied exasperated. “As a matter of fact, I’m an archeologist; it just so happens that I’m a thief, too.” She put out her hand to help me up. I hesitated at first, but then took it. She pulled me up and reached in her bag for something as I dusted myself off.

“Here.” Galatea gave me a bottle of red liquid. I took it and stared at it for a little while, then looked back at Galatea. “It’s a potion. Should fix you right up.” I shrugged and uncorked the bottle, then gave the potion a sniff. An overwhelming cherry smell assaulted my nostrils and I recoiled. Galatea giggled, but I shut her up with a glare. I took a sip of the potion and instantly felt rejuvenated.

“What’s in that stuff?” I asked.

“A little Chu jelly, some water, and fruit for flavor, ‘cause Chu jelly tastes nasty by itself. That’s a concoction of my own design,” she explained. “Alright, now you must be worried about your brother.”

I looked up at the mention of Vio and nodded. Galatea walked across the room to a particularly dusty wall. She motioned towards it, and I immediately knew what she was saying. I took out the Gust Bellows and started blowing the dust away from the wall, revealing a door.

“You still got that Timeshift orb?” she asked.

“Yeah,” I responded, taking it out. Galatea opened the door to reveal a long, dark passageway. As I entered the room, things started working, including an empty minecart on a track.

“Hop in. We ride in style here, as you can see,” Galatea said, getting in the minecart. I followed suit, and the track began to move.

“So, how did you end up here?” I asked, trying to make conversation. “I thought the Gerudo people lived across the Sandsea.”

“They do,” Galatea replied, not looking at me. “My mother was exiled for treason when I was seven. She took me with her and I’ve been in Lanayru ever since. Since she died, I’ve been trying to hold my own, but it’s tough when no one wants to give you a job.”

I sighed. “It must be. I’m sorry for judging you so quickly.”

She smiled. “It’s okay. Not everyone agrees with thievery, especially when it’s the only way a person makes a living.”

We were silent for the rest of the ride.

 

I stepped outside and immediately recoiled from the bright sunlight. I put my hand over my eyes and looked around. A massive royal crest towered over the area. Below it was a flat stretch of land with a thin pathway through the middle. Across the way, I saw Vio standing with a Goron. Vio was looking at a map the Goron had in his hands.

“Vio!” I yelled, running towards him. At the sound of his name, he looked up, and when he saw me, he beamed.

“Sis!” He started running towards me, and we met up halfway. He practically jumped on top of me. “I was so worried about you! Galatea told me you would be fine but I didn’t believe her and then I started crying and--”

“Shhh, it’s okay, Vio. I’m here now,” I said hushed, trying to comfort him. The Goron walked around us towards Galatea, who tossed him a red rupee.

“Thanks, Gorko,” she said.

“Ah, no problem. The kid was cute, and he liked my maps!” the Goron replied. “It was nothing compared to that artifact you found for me the other day.” With that, the Goron waved to Galatea, gave a toothy smile to Vio, and left through a hole in the wall on the left.

“Well, I do hate to break up this heartwarming moment, but I’m one hundred percent sure your family’s worried about you,” Galatea said, tapping me on the shoulder.

“Yes, absolutely. We should get back to the carriage immediately,” I replied. “You excited to go in a royal carriage, Vio?” He nodded enthusiastically. I turned to Galatea hesitantly, wondering if she would want to go with the escort.

“You worried about me and the carriage? I’m sure if we explain the situation, your general will see that I’m not gonna assassinate the prince and start the next great war or whatever,” she assured me. I sighed with relief. “We can get to the entrance of the mining facility a lot quicker through there.” She gestured to the hole in the wall, then started walking. I picked up Vio, who held tightly to my shoulders, and followed her.


	6. Galatea

As I led the way back to the entrance of the facility, I was continually checking behind me to make sure that Leiah and Vio could keep up. I mean, no offense to her, but the girl’s not exactly acrobatic, and it takes her a while to get on top of the rocks, especially with Vio on her back. She’d always give me the OK, and I’d keep going, only to stop again at another structure.

The general tensed up immediately when she saw me. She put her hand on her weapon and glared, then saw Leiah and Vio behind me. Her face changed to a look of confusion.

“It’s alright, Impa,” Leiah explained, putting Vio down beside her. “Galatea’s not actually out to destroy stuff. She just wants to live outside of the desert.”

“Specifically the facility,” I added. “The dust gets in my eyes and causes allergic reactions in, like, every season.”

Impa raised a condescending eyebrow at me, then turned back to Leiah. “Very well. If this thief has earned your trust, then I have no choice but to accept it, as I do not want to delay your return to your family. Come.” She brushed past me without looking at me and started walking.

“You’d think she wasn’t happy to see me,” I muttered, causing Leiah to giggle.

 

“Leiah, are you absolutely sure about this?”’

Prince Zoran looked hesitantly at me from the other side of the carriage. Impa sat beside me, glaring at me the whole time. Leiah and Vio sat next to Zoron.

“Yes. And if you want to know more, you can actually talk to her instead of treating her like the Ampilus in the room,” she retorted. I tried my best not to laugh.

The prince sighed. “Alright. Galatea, why should I trust you? You’ve stolen countless things from all over, including a priceless artifact from the royal family. You also kidnapped Leiah’s brother and put him in danger deliberately.”

“Okay, well, I didn’t actually put him in the mining facility with the Aracha. He was perfectly safe by the ruins of the Gate of Time. Weren’t you, Vio?” I turned to Vio, and he nodded happily. “Second, the only reason I stole the Gust Bellows was because I needed it to actually live in the mining facility. That dust accumulates so fast, it’s crazy.”

“That doesn’t explain the countless rupees and other artifacts,” Impa spat at me. I shot her a glare, then refocused on the prince.

“I  _ found _ every other artifact in my collection. The rupees are because I need money to afford a place outside this desert. No one in Lanayru has enough money to pay me, and if they do, they won’t hire a Gerudo girl,” I explained. “Honestly, you’d think robots would be a little less touchy about that.”

“Fair enough, I suppose,” said the prince. Impa gave him a look of bewilderment.

“Forgive me, your highness, but are you honestly going to forgive this criminal?” she exclaimed. “She could be lying to you! And to Leiah!”

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take, Impa,” the prince replied. “She could be a powerful ally, no pun intended. And at this point, I’m afraid we need all the help we can get.”

Leiah frowned. “What do you mean? Is something wrong?”

“As I was waiting for you, the guard at the front received a message from Faron. A dark cloud has gathered over the Temple of Hylia, and its guardian, Deimos, has gone missing,” the prince explained. “What’s more, monsters from the era of the sky have been sighted in Faron Woods once again. I sense the return of a far greater evil than we’ve seen in years.”

“Well, I’m glad we got this little interrogation session out of the way, then,” I interjected. “If the three holders of the Triforce were fighting each other instead of whatever’s coming, it wouldn’t spell success for Hyrule. That I’m sure of.” I grinned. There was an awkward silence before Zoran coughed nervously and continued.

“Yes. And to ensure success for Hyrule, as soon as Vio is returned home safely, I request that we meet at the Temple to investigate.”

 

I decided to tag along with Leiah and Vio when they went home, simply to scope out the area. I was, after all, going to need a place to live after moving out of the facility. The woods were pretty, sure, but there were an awful lot of bugs flying around everywhere.

“Say, is there, like, a lake anywhere around here? Somewhere with fewer bugs? And people?” I asked Leiah. She gave me a look, presumably about the people bit, then looked forward again.

“Yeah, there’s a lake to the east, but it’s inhabited by a bunch of pretentious seahorse people and a water dragon. Not sure that’s optimal living space,” she replied.

“Say, has my sass been rubbing off on you?”

She didn’t reply.

Leiah’s house was one of many in a small neighborhood around a giant tree. The home was on the smaller side, and didn’t appear to have a second floor. I hesitated when she went inside, but she gestured for me to follow.

Inside was a small kitchen and a short table with ten chairs around it. A large pot with a hand-knitted cozy sat simmering on the stove. A tall man with dark hair stood with his back facing us fixing something on the counter.

Vio jumped off of Leiah’s shoulders and shouted, “DADDY!” The man turned around in surprise, and his face brightened.

“Vio! Oh, thank the goddess you’re safe. Leiah too! Both of you, come here.” He left the kitchen to give both of them hugs. “Honey! Kids! Leiah and Vio are back!” I leaned against the doorframe, admiring the happy scene. 

The rest of Leiah’s family came practically running into the room. I counted six other brothers, all with varying heights. A shorter woman ran in behind them, presumably Leiah’s mother. She joined the hug, as did every single brother in the room. Hushed exclamations of “I’m so happy you’re both safe” and “Welcome back” could be heard from the huddle.

“Okay, guys. I’m suffocating,” Leiah said from the middle of the clump. It dispersed, and she walked back to me. “I hate to leave again so soon, but there’s something wrong at the temple, and the prince has summoned us to investigate.”

“‘Us’? Leiah, what do you…” her mother said. Then, she looked at me. “You can’t mean her. Isn’t she the one who kidnapped Vio?” she asked in an accusing tone. I backed out of the doorway a little.

“Well, yes and no. Yes, she did kidnap Vio, but she didn’t mean to. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Leiah explained.

“Yeah! Miss Galatea is really nice!” Vio protested. “She let me play with maps and cool stuff, and she gave me lots of food!”

“I didn’t want him to starve. That would really mess up my track record,” I stated simply. “Even though I won’t eat for the next three days, it’s worth it to see you smile a little, Vio.” I smiled at him, and he beamed back.

“Wait, you gave up meals for him?” Leiah said, astonished. “You must have been starving when we fought, and you still managed to probably break one of my ribs!” Her mother gave her a horrified look, and she immediately put her hands up. “I mean, I got better. Chu jelly has natural healing properties, you know.”

“I didn’t know, actually. But that’s beside the point,” her mother said. “I’ll admit, I had my doubts about you at first. But if both Leiah and Vio vouch for you, I guess there’s no harm done in at least offering you a meal.” My eyes must have gotten huge, because she laughed and went into the kitchen. “You arrived just in time; the soup is done. Everyone take a seat!” 

The family gathered around the small table. I hesitated to sit, doubting that there would be a seat for me. Leiah saw my hesitation and gave her chair to me, then ran down a long hallway. She came back moments later with a stool, which she put down next to me and sat on.

“Thanks,” I said nervously, not knowing what else to say.

“Of course! You’re the guest of honor, you know,” she replied. I smiled.

Leiah’s mother came around with the pot and a ladle and started serving soup into the bowls on the table, starting with her father, and moving on to her tallest brother. She went down the table in order, filling mine a little more full when she got there, and stopped at Vio. 

“Eat it while it’s hot!” she said, returning to the stove. The rest of the family started eating. I picked up my spoon and took a sniff of the soup. It smelled like pumpkins and other herbs. Just as I was about to put the spoon in my mouth, there was a rumble of what sounded like thunder. The floor and table shook, and the soup fell out of the spoon into the bowl.

Leiah looked to the door. “We’d better get going soon, if that’s what I think it is. Can we take it to go, Mom?”

“Of course, sweetie,” her mother replied. “You have your bottle?”

“Yep,” Leiah answered, taking out an empty bottle. She poured her soup into the bottle and motioned for me to do the same. I took out one of my bottles and poured the soup carefully from the bowl into the bottle. I corked it and waved goodbye to the family as Leiah and I ran out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so galatea's my favorite if that wasn't obvious lmao
> 
> those of you who are reading this for ghirahim, stick around for another few chapters. he's coming. i promise :D


	7. Zoran

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry this is a day late you guys! i have a show on friday and we've been rehearsing until 6:30 every day so i've been super busy :( i hope you're enjoying my story!

“This isn’t good, your highness.”

“You’ve always had a talent for stating the obvious, Impa.”

She and I were standing outside the Temple of Hylia. The dark cloud that the guard reported was far bigger than expected. What’s more, monsters were swarming out of the temple. Impa was trying to fend them all off while I stood to the side, weaponless. As usual.

“Ugh, could the girls take any longer?” I complained. Just as I spoke, Galatea dropped down in front of me, Leiah following closely behind.

“What is all this?!” Leiah exclaimed, drawing her sword and beginning to swing it at Bokoblins.

“It’s certainly not what the guard reported. I didn’t know it would be this bad,” I replied. “But, since I don’t have a weapon, I can’t fight, so I’m leaving it to you two to--”

“Alright, royal or no royal, that is no excuse for leaving all this--” she gestured widely, “to three people,” Galatea interjected. “Don’t you have magic or something, dude? We have to get to the source of this, and fast. We don’t have time to stand about and complain.” With that, she ran forward and took out her swords, deflecting arrows from archers with them.

I stood there speechless for a solid minute before Impa said, “She’s got a point, you know. The Triforce of Wisdom allows you to use magic spells such as Din’s Fire and Nayru’s Love.”

“I know, but...no one’s ever called me dude before,” I responded.

“Forgive my informality, your highness,” Leiah interjected, “but now is not the time to reflect on the use of slang. Let’s get going.”

I nodded and took a deep breath, channeling my energy. I thrust my hands forward and lo and behold, fire came out. It cleared a path for us to advance. Galatea ran forward and beckoned for us to follow.

 

When Galatea pushed the doors open, we were met with a swarm of Lizalfos. I used Din’s Fire again, successfully stunning them, and Leiah, Galatea, and Impa swept them down. We tried to advance again, but a heavily armored foe blocked our path.

“That’s a Darknut!” Impa exclaimed. “I haven’t seen one of them in years, and certainly not in this region!”

“Do you know how to--” I began to ask, but Galatea stepped in front of me.

“Back up. I have this,” she stated. We did as she said. The Darknut began to advance, but Galatea simply clutched her swords and waited.

“Uh, Galatea?” Leiah said. “Are you sure you--”

“Shh!” she whispered, in deep concentration. The Darknut got closer and closer, and just as it raised its sword to strike, Galatea rolled around it and struck it from the back. This caused its armor to come crashing down. She then began whaling on its exposed body until it fell to the ground, defeated.

“That was amazing!” I said. She flipped her braid behind her and gave a smirk.

“Always know when to parry,” she proclaimed nonchalantly. “Now let’s go.”

We rushed towards the center of the temple and swung open the huge doors at the back. Behind them, a woman robed in white levitated in the air, her eyes shut in concentration.

“Deimos?!” Leiah cried in surprise. The woman opened one eye and gazed at her, then gave a little laugh and opened the other one.

“I see you’ve returned from Lanayru,” she said. “Did you like my little surprise?”

“What are you doing, Deimos? You’ve summoned a horde of monsters!” Leiah shouted. “I thought you were guarding this temple!”

“I was, but the whispers of the dark forces beneath the surface were far too powerful for me to ignore,” she replied. “This horde is nothing compared to the might of the ancient Demon King, you know.”

“What?!” Leiah said.

“If you’re planning to resurrect Demise, I’m afraid it’s impossible!” I shouted. “He was defeated thousands of years ago! As former temple guardian, you should know this!” I stood there silently for a second before adding, “By the way, you’re fired!”

“Please. I’m not planning to resurrect him. He’s old news,” Deimos replied. “I’m simply planning on usurping his power.”

“That’s impossible!” Galatea yelled. “His power has been dead as long as he has!”

“Nonsense, Gerudo girl,” Deimos said condescendingly. Galatea winced at the remark. “When Demise was destroyed, his power was released into the earth in the Sealed Grounds. Little by little, it can be absorbed, if you have access to the right spells.” She laughed a little bit before continuing. “Now, if you’ll excuse my impoliteness, I can’t have you meddling with my plans.” She raised her hands in the air and began summoning a dark magic attack.

“Your highness! You and the others must use the power of the Triforce to temporarily stop her!” Impa shouted.

“You heard her! Leiah! Galatea! I have no idea what I’m doing and neither do you, but channel the energy from your Triforce parts towards Deimos!” I yelled back. They did as I said quickly, and I focused my own Triforce part with them. A large emblem appeared before us, and we pushed it towards Deimos. It hit her and exploded into rays of light, which turned into cords that entwined her hands and arms to her body. The rest of the light encased her and the dark magic dissipated from the area.

Leiah, Galatea, and I all sighed with relief simultaneously. Before any of us could say anything, though, a column of light enveloped us and teleported us away.


	8. Leiah

The column of light dropped us a few feet above the ground on top of a tower made of cascading water. Galatea managed to land on her feet, ever alert. Zoran and I just landed on our butts. Each of us made a splash in the water, but when we stood up, we were perfectly dry.

“Well, we’ve established that this place is well beyond the realm of physics making sense,” Zoran stated. “But where are we?”

“Hold on, I’ve seen illustrations of this place in some texts I recovered from around the desert,” Galatea replied. “It looks like the Chamber of the Sages.”

“That’s exactly what it is,” answered a voice that seemed to come from all around. We all looked around for the source of the voice, but no one else was there. After a second of silence and confusion, the voice spoke again. “Bearers of the Triforce...I’ve gathered you here because of the recent events at the temple.”

I recognized it as the voice I had heard in my dream the day of the Sky Festival. “Who are you?” I called out to it.

“I...am Hylia. I am speaking to you from the edge of time,” she responded. “I wish I could appear before you, but I gave up my mortal form years ago. Listen well, for I can only speak with you for a certain amount of time…”

In the center of the circle of water, a light appeared that began projecting things into the air around it. A large sword, a harp, and an odd-looking head appeared as images in the light.

“To stop the evil power that Deimos is harnessing, you must seal her form away like Demise was sealed thousands of years ago. To do this, however, you must go and harness the power of your ancestors that took part in that great battle.” As she spoke, the images in the air began to spread out. The head came down to me first.

“Leiah. Your blade, once imbued with the power to repel evil, has lost its blessing with time. The spirit within it is now asleep. You must travel to the Earth Temple, the last place I cleansed my soul as a human, and awaken your blade in the waters of the Earth Spring.”

I nodded in understanding, and the head disappeared. Next, the image of the harp descended to Zoran.

“Prince Zoran. You must find the Goddess Harp in the ruins of the islands in the sky. I will send you a Loftwing so that you may traverse the world above. You will find the harp in the Isle of Songs.”

“Yes, Hylia. I will do my best,” he replied sheepishly. The harp disappeared, and the sword floated gently to Galatea.

“Galatea. You must search for the blade of Demise and take it as your own. This is so that Deimos cannot take it for herself and once again enlist its service.”

“Wait, what do you mean by ‘enlist its service’?” Galatea asked.

“That you will discover when you find the blade. You will find it in the deep region of Faron Woods.” Galatea frowned, but then nodded in understanding. With that, the sword disappeared, along with the small column of light.

“You must hurry. The temporary seal you placed on Deimos will not last long. Wherever you go, you may send a prayer to the bird statues dispersed throughout the land to remind you of your mission. Fare the well…”

The column of light from before once again enveloped us and teleported us away.

 

We landed again outside the Temple of Hylia. This time, we all managed to land on our feet. We looked around at each other solemnly.

“So, I get to go to the volcano and probably choke to death on ash, Galatea gets the deep woods where nothing is sacred and the bugs will steal your soul, and Prince Zoran gets to fly around in the sky like a happy little angel,” I said.

“Seems accurate,” Galatea replied. “How are you gonna get to the sky, though?”

Prince Zoran shrugged. “Hylia said she’d send me a Loftwing, but I don’t see one in the skies yet…”

Just then, I got a marvelous and completely ridiculous idea. I ran over to Galatea and whispered it into her ear for approval.

“Leiah, that sounds incredibly risky and you could get us thrown in jail,” she said. Then, she smirked. “I’m in.”

Prince Zoran gave us a look of confusion, which then turned to pure fear when we ran towards him. Galatea quickly tripped him, and as he fell, we picked him up and hoisted him in the air.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” he yelled.

“We’ve gotta have that Loftwing see you, right?” Galatea said, laughing.

“We’re waiting for it to pick you up with its talons,” I added.

“Put me down this instant!” the prince cried. We obliged, gently putting him down on his feet. He brushed off his dress and scowled at us.

“Whaat? We were just having a little fun,” Galatea defended. We stared at each other in silence before Prince Zoran let out a little giggle. Then, we all started laughing at each other. The laughter lasted for a solid minute before we all remembered what we had to do.

“Well, I mean, we won’t be seeing each other for a little while, so I’m glad we got that out of our systems,” I said. “I’ll be setting off for the Earth Temple.”

“And I’ll head to the Deep Woods, wherever that is,” Galatea said.

“Oh, it’s past the Great Tree, where my village was. When you hit a viewing platform, you’re going the right way,” I replied. She nodded in thanks.

“And I’ll just wait here for my Loftwing, which hopefully will not grab me with its talons,” Prince Zoran replied. We shared another quick giggle before Galatea saluted us and ran off to the east. I gave a nod to Prince Zoran and started heading in the direction of Eldin Volcano.


	9. Galatea

The woods were longer than I thought they were. It took a while to reach the viewing platform, so when I did, I took a short break. I saw a bird statue, like Hylia had mentioned, and examined it closely. It was outlined with orange and had intricate symbols all over it. I decided not to send a prayer to Hylia, her words still clear in my mind. I was still unsure of what "enlisting the blade's service" meant, but I would cross that bridge when I came to it.

I turned around to see a short pit with a vine hanging over it. It was clear to me that I’d have to swing across it on the vine like an animal, so I did just that, praying that no one would see me. I landed squarely on the other side and moved quickly on, trying not to waste any time.

I ran down the path, stopping at a short glen by a tree. Some Bokoblins were circling the tree, but they were keeping their distance from it. I raised an eyebrow at them, then ran in to start defeating them. I had cut down one when I heard a loud buzzing from above. I looked up to see a hive of hornets in the tree. I knew exactly what was to come and ran for my life the way I had come. They were fast, though, and I barely escaped with two stings. They flew back to their hive.

“Damn, Leiah was right when she said the bugs would steal my soul,” I muttered.

I walked back to the glen with the tree and stopped a good distance from the hive. I figured that if I could use a ranged attack to knock down the hive, they’d disperse. The problem was, I didn’t have a slingshot or a bow with me. I saw a pebble to my right and figured it would work okay if I hid after throwing it. I did just that, and sure enough, no hornets came after me. I pumped my fist in the air and took care of the rest of the Bokoblins, then ran onward.

I soon came across a tightrope stretching across a cavern with another hornet nest up above. Despite internally screaming, I threw another pebble at the hive and hid quickly. It fell into the chasm.

“Great,” I said. “Now just to figure this out.”

I dropped down the edge of the cliff and took hold of the rope in both hands. I moved myself carefully across the gap and pushed myself up the side of the cliff. I took the edge of the rope and cut it with my sword, then pulled it hard, causing it to come out of its lodging at the other side. I looped it around itself and took out the peg from the other side.

“Okay, now I just need some metal for a grappling hook!” I said. However, since I was in the Deep Woods with no sign of civilization around, I was metal-less. I looked around for a minute, then saw a familiar Goron atop a short ledge.

“Hey, Gorko!” I yelled. He turned around and looked down, then saw me.

“Hey, Galatea! What are you doing in these parts?” he asked.

“Long story. Say, do you have any iron on you? Also some fire?” I replied.

“Well, I have a compass, if that’s useable to you,” he said.

“I couldn’t take an essential navigational instrument from you, Gorko,” I replied.

“No, no, a mathematical compass. For drawing circles and all that,” he said, handing me the instrument. “I’ve mapped pretty much the entire region, and the Mogmas from Eldin keep me well in supply of compasses like that one. You’ll have to find the fire on your own, though.”

“Alright, I can work with this. Thank you, Gorko. I owe ya one,” I said.

“No problem! See ya later!” he responded. He walked away slowly, and I sat down and started a fire to make the iron compass a bit more workable. I set to work fashioning a hook out of the compass as soon as the fire was rolling. It took a while, since iron isn’t exactly the most malleable material, but I was able to make a hook out of it before nightfall. Thankfully, the compass was large in size to fit Goron hands, so I was able to make a sizeable hook out of it. I used said hook with the small rope to swing across the big gap in front of the temple. I couldn’t land on the ground, so I hung on the side of the gap before pulling myself up.

The temple was large and old-looking. Perfect for a budding archeologist-slash-thief like me, I thought. I ran up the steps and straight into a Bokoblin. It screeched at me, and I mockingly screeched back at it before kicking it down and stabbing it with one of my swords. I put my swords away and pushed open the doors to the temple, descending the steps beyond them.

The steps wound around the temple until they reached a flat part at the bottom. Along the way, I saw a little square hole that led to a bigger part of the temple. I crawled through it and came out in a large, rectangular room.

“Jackpot,” I whispered to myself.

I saw a green Bokoblin across the way, patrolling. I started walking towards it and it noticed me, running towards me and screeching. I kicked it into the water and it drowned.

“You know, if that thing wasn't trying to kill me, I might actually feel sorry for it,” I said to myself, walking onwards. I jumped across the gap at the end of the room to see a locked door. I knelt down to inspect the lock, then pulled out a small knife from my satchel. I easily picked the lock and it dropped off the door, allowing me to continue on.

The room I entered was round with a large, decaying central structure. A large amount of spiders and bats inhabited the room. Whenever they came near me, I just used a sword to take care of them. I entered the door embedded in the central structure. The door slammed shut behind me, startling me. I looked back at it, and bars slammed down over it.

“This can’t be good,” I whispered. I looked back to the center of the room. Nothing was there but a pile of bones. Just as I was about to sigh in relief, the bones started wobbling and reanimating themselves. They formed an undead warrior in the center of the room, whose eyes started glowing. It saw me, and gave a skeletal roar. I admit, I screamed a little in fright. It slowly advanced toward me, putting its weapons in different formations. I saw an opening and took out my blades, hitting it squarely in the spine. After doing that a couple more times, the bones fell apart. I finally got my sigh of relief and turned back to the doors, expecting the bars to lift.

They didn’t.

I looked around for any way to escape and saw a giant hole in the side of the roof. I took out my homemade grappling hook and grappled the edge of the hole. I pulled myself up and jumped out of the hole. I headed to the north end of the room and picked the lock again, heading through the door.

This room was mostly chasm, with only a small tightrope in the center. On the other side, there was a Bokoblin. As soon as it saw me, it began to try and cross the rope. I grappled a branch above the tightrope and swung forward, kicking the Bokoblin in the face. It fell off the rope into the chasm, screaming as it went. It was almost laughable. I gained some momentum and swung across the gap, landing squarely on my feet on the other side.

I faced a door like the one at the end of the mining facility. However, this door’s keyhole looked like a chair instead of a square. I looked around for a golden carving like the one in Lanayru and found one far off to the side. I went back to the door and rotated the carving.

“Okay, now to the left a little…okay!” I said, inserting the carving. The door opened slowly and I stepped inside the dark room. The door shut itself behind me.

The room stayed dark as I walked cautiously inside. I could sense a powerful energy emanating within the chamber. I took another step forward and the darkness around the room condensed itself in the center, taking the shape of a person. The dark energy then evaporated off of this person like water on a stove.

“Now, just who are you?” he asked quietly.

The figure was tall and muscled, but not obnoxiously so. He wore a blood red cape that covered the top part of his body. There was a yellow sash around his waist, a reddish-orange diamond placed where it should be tied, and he wore white leggings with diamond-shaped holes in them that seemed to turn into his shoes. His silvery hair was pulled back on one side, the rest hanging in front of his face. His visible ear was decorated by a blue diamond earring. His visible eye was underlined by purple, and his thin lips appeared white. He gazed at me from across the room with deep black eyes, not revealing any emotion on his face. I'd be lying if I said he wasn't attractive, in a weird sort of way.

“Uh, hi,” I said cautiously, not wanting to anger him or anything. “I’m Galatea, bearer of the Triforce of Power, and I’ve come looking for the blade of Demise.” I gave a little wave.

He raised an eyebrow, or at least that’s what it looked like, because he didn’t seem to have any eyebrows, and turned to face me fully. “Who told you that you would find it here?”

“The goddess. Hylia, if you know her by that name." I shuffled around casually before continuing. “It’s kind of important, so if you know where it is, could you please tell me?”

“Hylia didn’t tell you much about the sword, did she?” the man said. I shook my head and he sighed. “Well, in that case, you should know; you’ve already found it.”

“What?” I said, slightly startled. “But I don’t see a sword anywhere…” I looked around, trying to see if it was in the ceiling or something. The man sighed again, probably wishing I was a little smarter. Then, Hylia’s words about “enlisting the service” of the sword came to mind.

“Wait. If the sword is something that can have its service enlisted, then it must be alive. And the only other living thing here is…” I turned around, and the man smiled. Or smirked. I couldn’t really tell.

“Finally, you understand,” he said, bowing slightly at the waist. “I am Demon Lord Ghirahim, spirit of the blade of Demise and forever his loyal servant.” He paused. “At least, I was. Before your Hylia and her hero destroyed him for eternity!” With every phrase, he used a new gesture. “And now, she expects me to join forces with her?! The nerve of your goddess!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down, dude,” I replied, putting my hands up defensively. “You’re being a bit melodramatic. She just wants me to enlist your help because she really doesn’t want you falling into the hands of the enemy.”

Ghirahim gave me a look of doubt. “Who is this enemy?”

“Deimos, the new guardian of the Temple of Hylia. She wants to absorb the dark power that was released into the earth after Demise was destroyed,” I answered. “This could potentially result in the end of the world, and that’s kind of a bad thing, if you get what I’m saying.”

“She plans to take my former master’s power as her own? How arrogant,” Ghirahim said, placing a hand on his hip. “But why would I want to save this world?”

“Uh, because you live here?” I replied, not sure how else to phrase it.

Ghirahim and I had a bit of a staring contest before he finally answered. “Fair enough, I suppose. But before I give you my service as your blade, I must make sure you are worthy of being my master.”

“Wait, Master?” I said. “I’m not sure I’m ready for this level of commitment, dude.”

“Then you shall have to save this world without me, I’m afraid,” he responded. He raised an arm, as if he was going to cast a spell.

“Wait!” I exclaimed. He lowered his hand. “What do I have to do?”

He smiled another sinister smile. “You must face me in combat.” He snapped his fingers and his cape disappeared, revealing a one-shouldered top and gloves. He flipped his hair and licked his lips.

“Not gonna lie, that’s kinda creepy,” I said. “But whatever. I can take you any day.” I took out my swords and prepared for him to come at me.

He took a slow couple of steps toward me, putting his hand up. It glowed red. Getting impatient, I charged at him and swung. He grabbed one of my blades by the tip. I tried to get it away from him, but his grip was like iron.

“Hey!” I said. “Isn’t that cheating?”

“It’s not cheating when you have magic,” he replied, a hint of a cocky smirk on his face.

“That’s a lie. Cheating is cheating, whether or not you have weird magic powers,” I scoffed. He rolled his eyes and tried to tug the blade away from me, pulling me forward in the process. Thinking quickly, I kicked him in the ribs and he stumbled back, letting go of my sword. He regained his balance and raised a nonexistent eyebrow at me.

“Odd. No one’s ever tried that before,” he stated, showing little to no emotion.

“No one’s ever kicked you in the chest before? Somehow I find that hard to believe,” I replied, giving him a smirk of my own.

He rolled his eyes at me and licked his lips again before summoning a pitch-black rapier. He crouched for a solid second before charging at me with impeccable speed. I realized what he was doing a split second before it actually happened and dodged as fast as I could. I didn’t escape him completely, though, and still got a scratch on my leg.

“Ow! I need that leg!” I exclaimed.

“You’re overreacting and you know it,” he replied. He then jumped about ten feet into the air. I figured out what he was doing immediately and stepped two feet to the right. He plunged down beside me, and instead of putting his sword through my head, he put it in the ground. I took the opportunity to start slashing at him with my sword. Despite my blades slicing him at every angle, he was able to get up again without a scratch.

“It’s lovely, isn’t it?” Ghirahim mused, admiring his arms. “Not a scratch, even with those fine blades of yours.”

“I’m not sure if that was a compliment or an insult,” I responded. “But that’s beside the point.” I wasted no time in running towards him again. He prepared to grab my blade again, but this time, instead of slashing at him, I used his chest as a springboard and jumped over him. I landed behind him and started slashing away again before he slapped one of my swords out of my hand. I tried to go after it, but he suddenly appeared in front of it in a wave of diamonds.

“I’ll admit,” he said, “you’re one of the most creative people to ever challenge me. I’ve never had someone jump over me and counterattack that quickly.” He knelt down before me and took my hand. “I believe you are fit to be my master.”

“Uh, thanks? I’m still not sure how to react to this,” I responded. The whole situation was still kind of weird. "But from someone as enamored with yourself as you are, I suppose I'll take that as a compliment."

Instead of replying, his form suddenly dispersed into diamonds, which then formed together to form a gigantic sword. I lifted it up with both hands, struggling to carry it.

“Oof! And I thought you couldn’t get more obnoxious,” I said. “Well, beggars can’t be choosers I suppose.”

“You know, my previous master never complained about something as trivial as—“

“Swords don’t talk, Ghirahim.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao if you haven't guessed im a lazy lil shit when it comes to describing dungeons
> 
> idk if i said it before, but feedback is greatly appreciated! if you like it or see something i could improve on, i'd love to see your comments :D


	10. Leiah

The trek to Eldin Volcano was long. I wished I had some other, faster way of getting there with nearly every step I took. Then, I realized that I probably could have asked Zoran to give me another escort. Sighing, I plodded on, already about halfway there and seriously not wanting to turn back.

The volcano eventually came into view as I approached a cliff. I looked down and saw one of the bird statues that Hylia had mentioned. I hung on the edge of the cliff, then dropped down. I approached the statue cautiously, as if something would happen to it when I approached it. Nothing did, so I moved on.

I ran down a narrow path to my right and jumped across some rocks floating in lava. I continued onward down another path, jumping across more rocks when I got there. I was approaching what appeared to be a large, dead tree when something popped out of the ground in front of me. Startled, I fell onto my back.

“Hey, what’s the matter with you? Never seen a Mogma before?” a voice said from in front of me. I looked up to see a large creature with a long nose and ears. It looked sort of like a rat, but bigger. It sat in the ground and waited expectantly for me to respond.

“Um, no. I haven’t,” I replied, giving the creature a look of hesitation. It sighed.

“Well, there’s a first time for everything, kid. Welcome to Eldin Volcano.” The Mogma used a long arm to gesture to the surrounding area. “Just gonna warn you, there’s been a resurgence of some bad folks in these parts. You’re gonna need to know how to use that sword of yours.”   
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said, standing up. “I need to find the Earth Temple. Do you know where that is?”   
“What, that run-down death trap? It’s up on the volcano,” he replied, pointing to the face of the mountain. I looked over and saw an outcropping that was decorated by intricate tribal designs. “My great-grandfather, Ledd, was pretty much the authority on the place. It’s filled with lava and probably infested with monsters now. It’ll be a hard undertakin’ alone, but you seem like the capable type. See ya around, kiddo.” With that, the Mogma gave a salute and popped back into the ground.

“Of course I have to take on a challenging temple by myself.” I looked to the west and saw that the sun was sinking in the sky. “Better set up camp for tonight. I don’t want to take on that temple when I’m not well-rested.”

I decided on a small flat area down near the dead tree’s roots to rest. Before I could, though, a small stream of fire erupted from some nearby skulls. I saw a dangly blue antenna coming out of the top and deduced that it was a monster. I looked around to see if there was anything I could use to my advantage. My eyes fell on small blue flowers resembling bombs, and I immediately hatched a plan. I picked up a flower, lighting the fuse, and threw it into the hole on top of the skull. Small, panicked grunts escaped the skull before it exploded, leaving a blue rupee behind. I picked it up and put it in my recovered wallet and did the same with the other skull.

I walked over to a small indentation in the rock wall and set my bag down there. I reached for some nearby sticks to start making a fire. It was relatively easy since the wood was so dry. I took out the soup my mother had given me and warmed it up, then drank it in practically one gulp. Feeling rejuvenated, I decided to use my bag as a pillow for the night and drifted off to sleep, comforted by the warmth of the fire.

 

I woke up about three hours later to the sound of hushed voices above me.

“Are you sure it’s this way?”   
“Please. I’m never wrong.”

“I beg to differ, but alright.”

The fire had gone out, so there was no way of them knowing I was here. I heard them take care of another monster with a bomb, and used the opportunity to stand and draw my sword, just in case. Soon enough, a pair of dark figures came around the corner. I readied myself for battle, but then my hand started glowing. A matching shimmer of light came from one of the figures’ hands, illuminating their face.

“Galatea?” I asked, bewildered. She smiled - a legitimate smile for once - and walked over to me, the other figure following.

“‘Sup, Leiah?” she asked as she approached. “Nice place you got stuck with. The Pyrups must have been really welcoming.” I assumed she was referring to the creatures in the skulls.

“What are you doing here?” I responded. “I thought you had to find a sword.”   
“I did,” she said, gesturing towards her companion and spreading her hands in a showy manner. “This is Ghirahim, spirit of the blade of Demise and now my humble servant.”

“I would seldom refer to myself as your servant,” Ghirahim said with disdain. “And you should know by now that I prefer my full title.  _ Lord _ Ghirahim.”

“Relax. At least I’m still calling you by your actual name,” Galatea quipped back. “As you can see, we get along swimmingly.”

I gave them a blank stare before clearing my throat and speaking. “Well, I’d love to chat, but I need to sleep, otherwise I’ll probably die in the Earth Temple.”

“Good plan. Mind if we chill with you for the night?” Galatea asked, sitting down.

“Not at all, as long as you keep your lovers’ quarrels to a minimum in the wee hours of the night.” Galatea’s face flushed and Ghirahim snorted, and I sat down, rolled over and went back to sleep.

 

The next morning, I awoke to see Galatea and Ghirahim sitting on a rock and arguing. I sighed and walked over to them.

“I told you, Ghirahim. It’s not gay if it’s on the moon.”

“It’s still gay, regardless of its position on an astronomical body.”

“Are you guys seriously arguing about homosexuality on the moon?” I asked, bewildered that they considered it a valuable conversation topic.

“Of course. This is a very serious discussion,” Galatea replied.

“Whatever. I still don’t know why the two of you are here in the first place.”

“Well,” Galatea said, standing, “I found Ghirahim so fast, I thought that you might need help, seeing as volcanoes are actually the most diabolical invention nature has ever had.” Ghirahim scoffed. Galatea ignored him. “So I had Ghirahim teleport us over to the volcano. He teleported us to the start of the area because he’s a jerk and we walked for a while until finding you. And there you have it.”

I stared at them for a while before saying “So you two have known each other for less than a day and already you’re acting like an old married couple?”

Ghirahim stood up abruptly. “We are  _ not _ married,” he stated indignantly, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Well, actually,” Galatea interjected with a wry smile on her face, “the way you proclaimed your loyalty to me was sort of like a marriage proposal. You went down on one knee and everything.”

“That was nothing like a marriage proposal,” Ghirahim replied, fuming. “I can assure you that my customs are far different from yours.”

“Nope. We’re married now,” Galatea said, turning around. “Now let’s get to that temple!”   
I could already tell that this would be the longest day of my life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fyi this is the "ambiguous relationship" in the tags. nothings ever made official but i like writing them jokingly flirting (well. mostly galatea flirting and ghirahim being ghirahim)
> 
> once again, i always appreciate feedback!


	11. Leiah

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> honestly fuck the earth temple

A large portion of the day’s climb consisted of Ghirahim complaining about our lack of physical ability. He said that “a climb such as this wouldn’t have fazed Demise”. Easy to say when you can teleport. We stopped for lunch at the outcropping, but realized that none of us had food. Galatea saw a Bokoblin camp nearby and had Ghirahim distract them while she pilfered their supplies in a flash. After lunch, we were ready to enter the temple.

There was one small problem, however. Ghirahim explained that the key to the temple was scattered across the Eldin Volcano area in five pieces. We split up to search the region, but couldn’t find anything.

“Ugh! Why do keys have to be so hard to find?!” I yelled, slamming my fist into the door. Naturally, it yielded and slowly swung open.

We stood there for a moment and gawked at the door. Any passersby must have thought we were complete idiots.

“You’re telling me...that we scoured the entire Eldin region...for nothing?” Galatea said in a stunned tone. Simultaneously, we turned to Ghirahim, who conveniently decided that now was a good time to return to his sword.

I sighed. “Whatever, at least it’s open. Let’s go.” I started down the stairs. Galatea followed, picking up Ghirahim as she went.

 

The main room of the temple was hot, to say the least. The tiled path led eventually to lava, with rocks floating on it occasionally being propelled up by small fountains. Bats (which seemed to be _on fire_ , by the way) flew around everywhere, and flecks of ash floated softly from the ceiling to the floor.

“Well, not exactly the type of place I was looking for, but I could live here if I got over the heat,” Galatea said, stepping up beside me with Ghirahim propped on her shoulder.

“Please. You’d start complaining to me after the first five minutes,” Ghirahim replied from inside the sword.

“What did I say about lovers’ quarrels, you two?” I interjected, making them shut up immediately. I jumped over the rocks, taking down bats as I went, and reached the other side of the room in a flash. I looked back towards Galatea, who was nimbly leaping across the rocks. She had left Ghirahim leaning on a rock. He exited the sword and teleported over with a snap.

We stepped into the next room, only to be greeted by a Lizalfos. Galatea and I took turns distracting him while the other slashed away with a sword. Ghirahim decided to scope out the area, attempting to make himself useful. After the Lizalfos was taken care of, Ghirahim turned back to us.

“The temple seems to run in a relatively straight line. If we can make it as far back as we can, we should be able to make it to the boss chamber and from there, the spring,” he said while gesturing further down the temple. “Luckily for us, the sky child--I mean, the hero of the skies--solved all of these puzzles thousands of years ago, and it looks like they’ve stayed solved.” At the mention of the hero of the skies, Ghirahim shuddered a little bit. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Galatea put her hand to her mouth to prevent the escape of laughter.

“Alright then. Let’s get going,” I said, walking forward. I was immediately stopped by a hand on my shoulder.

“Leiah? Not sure how well stepping in lava’s gonna work,” Galatea stated. I looked forward and sure enough, the path dropped off into lava. I looked around for something to cross it with, and off to the side, a giant ball floated in the lava. I walked towards it.

“You think I can cross the lava on this? Kinda like a rolling barrel?” I asked, looking back towards Galatea and Ghirahim for approval. Galatea shrugged while Ghirahim nodded.

“That is how the hero of the skies did it. However, I would suggest a new shield,” he said. “The creatures that live in the lava shoot fireballs. Your wooden shield will burn immediately.”  
“That’s fair, but where am I gonna get a new shield on such short notice?” I asked. Ghirahim chuckled--something I didn’t know people actually did--and summoned a new shield made of metal.

“All you had to do was ask,” he replied, tossing the shield at me. Despite my history of horrible coordination, I caught the shield and equipped it. With that out of the way, I stepped onto the large ball. I started rolling it across the lava, deflecting fireballs with the new shield as I went. It took me a while to cross the room, and by the time I got there, Ghirahim had already teleported over, and Galatea was rolling up her grappling hook. I stopped for a little bit to catch my breath, then led the others into the next room.

 

The room was long and slanted, an incline running in the center that turned sharply left at the end. I started to walk onto the incline, but Ghirahim stopped me. I was about to complain, but then he gestured upwards. I looked up and saw a bunch of boulders held up by a net.

“This is an ancient puzzle that vexed even the hero of old. Once you step far enough on the incline, the boulders will drop and roll towards you. They’re quite painful.” He demonstrated by stepping onto the incline. Sure enough, the boulders were released and began rolling towards us. Galatea and I rushed to get out of the way while Ghirahim simply teleported out of the way. “Luckily, since I can teleport, this puzzle is no problem for me. Good luck, you two.” With that, he teleported to the top of the incline and sat on a nearby rock, legs crossed.

“Hey, why can’t you teleport us?!” Galatea yelled after him. He only smirked and leaned back to watch.

“You’d think a guy would want to help his wife,” I said. Galatea laughed when Ghirahim frowned at that statement.

I started to look along the walls for any help with the puzzle. I saw some indentations along the walls and got an idea. I turned to Galatea and she nodded, guessing my train of thought. We began to run up the incline, jumping into the indentations when the boulders came down. When we reached the top, Ghirahim muttered something that sounded like “finally” and teleported to the top of the next incline.

I looked for a similar indentation in the walls of this incline, but anything remotely similar was covered in rock. I looked toward Galatea for help, and she pulled a small bag from her satchel.

“Bombs,” she said. “I only have like five though, so use ‘em wisely.”

I took a bomb from the bag and tossed it up the incline after lighting the fuse. I missed the first time, then threw another one, timing it so that it would explode when it rolled by the indentation. With that, Galatea and I did the same thing we did before, only to be disappointed when we saw a similar indentation with a similar problem. Since similar problems call for similar solutions, I tossed a bomb in a similar manner. We ran up the incline again, dodging the boulders when they fell, and met Ghirahim at the top. Galatea took the opportunity to punch him in the arm.

“And what was that for?” he asked, rubbing his forearm.

“What do you think, Mr. I-Would-Leave-My-Wife-At-The-Bottom-Of-A-Hill?” Galatea responded. Ghirahim glared at her, but decided not to antagonize.

 

The next room appeared to be simple enough. A giant dragon statue with its mouth open blocked one side of the room, and the opposite side held a windy pathway leading up to a small platform. I saw a small glint coming off of the top of the path, so I ran up the winding path to the platform. All I saw was an opened treasure chest with nothing in it.

“Stupid hero of the skies, always solving my puzzles,” I whispered under my breath. I started to walk back down to where Galatea was arguing with Ghirahim about some stupid thing when suddenly, I heard the sound of rocks dislodging. I turned around to see a giant boulder falling out of the wall. I ran as fast as I could down the path without falling off and jumped to the side at the bottom, crashing right into Galatea. The boulder rolled right into the dragon’s mouth, causing it to rise into the air and swallow the boulder whole.

“Nice job, Leiah,” Galatea said from underneath me. “You managed to solve a puzzle _and_ get me and my husband to stop arguing.”

“For the last time, I am not your husband. We are, at best, friends.”

“Honey, denial is the first step towards acceptance,” Galatea replied, getting up.

“That’s not how it works!”

“Okay you two, we should get moving,” I interrupted. “We can settle your marriage debate later.” I walked towards the door, hearing Ghirahim say something along the lines of “I want a divorce”.

 

The chamber began with a long, spiral staircase leading to another steep incline. Overhead, the boulder the dragon statue swallowed rolled along a railway. The incline led to a small platform at the top covered in heart flowers. We were about to enter the door at the end when an earth-shattering screech sounded from behind us.

“Oh you have _got_ to be kidding me,” Ghirahim groaned.

What looked like a large, cracked boulder dropped down from the ceiling. It sprouted four spindly orange legs and opened its mouth to screech again, revealing rows of sharp teeth. It started advancing up the incline towards us, and we stepped back nervously.

“What _is_ that thing?!” I yelled in fear.

“I’ve read about it,” Galatea responded, somehow staying calm. “That’s Scaldera, an ancient being of fire summoned by Ghirahim to stop the hero of the skies.”

“So it’s your fault then?” I asked Ghirahim.

“Not this time. It seems to be responding to your Triforce pieces,” he replied. “Now I’m not trying to escape this like before, but three people on this walkway is far too many. One of us would fall.” With that, he changed into his sword form. “Galatea, I must ask that you use me for this battle.”

Galatea nodded and picked him up. “Hey, did you make yourself lighter for me?” she asked mockingly.

“Now’s not the time!” I yelled, shutting her up immediately. The monster was almost upon us now. I stepped back onto the platform and hit a bomb flower, lighting its fuse. I got an idea and picked it up, throwing it at Scaldera. It stunned the monster into retracting its legs, causing it to roll down the incline like a ball. I started running after it, gesturing for Galatea to follow. She slid down the incline as I ran down it. Showoff.

When we reached the bottom of the incline, the monster was still, a single eye apparent in the cracks of the rock. Galatea and I had the same idea and began slashing away at the eye. After a while of doing that while it moved its eye around, the creature’s legs reappeared and it started running at us again. We repeated the process a few times, chipping away at its rocky shield as we went, and eventually, it was defeated, dropping a heart container in its wake. I picked it up as Galatea set Ghirahim down, allowing him to return back to his human (ish?) form. We ran back up the incline and headed through the door at the top.


	12. Leiah

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so sorry this took so long! i had to do a bunch of homework on tuesday, i had rehearsal on wednesday, then i had to add some things to this chapter because it was so short, and now we're here. lol
> 
> we've only got a little more ways to go, so hang on for the ride! zoran's mini-adventure is up next.

The door opened to reveal a strikingly peaceful area. A set of stairs surrounded by pillars led to a small spring, and four round platforms led to a small pedestal with the crest of the royal family on it. Butterflies fluttered around everywhere, and small fish swam gracefully through the water.

I hopped across the platforms towards the pedestal to examine it more closely. Once I got there, I heard a faint voice in the back of my head.

_ “Hero…” _

It was different from Hylia’s voice. It sounded faintly feminine and echoed unnaturally, as if there were a group of people all speaking at once.

_ “Raise your sword to the sky and charge it with the light of the goddess…” _

I did as the voice asked, and my sword began to gleam with a soft blue light. From the other end of the chamber, I heard Galatea swear under her breath in awe.

_ “Now...swing it down towards the crest…” _

I did so, and the light from my sword launched forward and hit the crest. It suddenly became a vibrant periwinkle and sparkled in the sunlight. It stayed that way for a little until a ball of light bounced forward out of it, taking a humanoid form.

“Greetings, new Master. I am Fi, spirit of the blade of the goddess.”

Fi floated in the air in front of me. She had bright blue skin and hair, and her face seemed like that of a doll. She was clothed in blue and purple attire and didn’t seem to have any arms. Her legs were decorated like the handle of the Master Sword, and her socks seemed to melt into her shoes.

“Um...hello, Fi. I’m Leiah,” I said, not sure what else to say. “I was told by Hylia to regain the blessing of the sword. I need it to fend off Deimos, an evil sorceress who has absorbed the power of Demise and wishes to destroy the world with it.”

Fi nodded solemnly. “I calculate that there is a 99% chance that my assistance would help in this task. Allow me to restore your blade with its blessing.” With that, she began to dance along the water as gracefully as the fish. As she did, the sword began to shine, and when the dance concluded, the shine had reduced to a soft glow.

“Your blade now has the power to repel evil,” Fi explained. “The power of Demise can be stopped with its light.”

“Sweet,” I said. “Well, we should probably get back to the temple.” I turned back to the others to see Ghirahim shooting death glares at Fi.

“Leiah, there is a 68% chance that Ghirahim and his companion are here to stop you in your mission,” Fi said from behind me.

“Well, seeing as Galatea was told by Hylia to enlist Ghirahim’s help, I’m gonna count on that other 32%,” I replied.

“Hello, Fi,” Ghirahim said through clenched teeth. “Lovely to see you again.”

“I detect a 79% chance of sarcasm in your voice,” the spirit replied. Ghirahim scowled, and Galatea laughed. “If I may ask, what are you doing working in the service of Hylia?”

“We’ll explain on the way. Right now, we’ve gotta see if Zoran’s made any progress,” Galatea said. “Come on, dear.”

“How many times have I asked you to stop with the pet names?” Ghirahim complained as they made their way down the steps.

“That’s kind of their thing,” I explained to Fi. Fi returned to the sword, but it almost sounded like she giggled for a second.   
  


Once we had made our way outside the temple once more, the sun had set, so we decided to camp out in the now-abandoned Bokoblin camp to the east. Galatea had a fire burning within seconds, and she and Ghirahim set out to find food. After a short quip about them being together, as one does, they left and I settled down, setting the Master Sword beside me. I hugged my knees to myself and sighed.

“Is something wrong, Master?” I jumped as Fi exited the sword and suddenly stood beside me.

“Uh, no, Fi. I’m fine,” I replied, returning my gaze to the flickering orange in front of me.

“Your posture and tone indicate that your mood is falling,” she stated. “As your servant, I request that you accept my assistance in making you happier.”

I turned to her to look at her face. Her normally blank features showed a hint of concern, even though I had only known her for a few minutes. I sighed again and extended my legs in front of me.

“I’m just homesick, is all,” I began. She nodded. “I have a huge family back in Faron, and the silence is kind of getting to me.”

“Fear not, Master,” she responded. “Though I have not known you very long, I can sense that you are a capable young woman and have the skill to defend both your family and this world. You shall see them again soon.”

I stared at her for a moment as she floated gently in front of me. I wasn’t sure how, but her analytical advice was comforting. I smiled gently, and she returned the favor, albeit sparingly. “Thank you, Fi. Your words mean a lot.”

“If that is all you require, I will return to your blade,” she replied. “Galatea and Ghirahim should return soon with food, provided that they have not run into any trouble.”

As if on cue, I heard a deafening screech behind me. I shot up and whirled around to see a horde of monsters led by none other than Ghirahim. Immediately, Fi returned to the Master Sword, and I took it in my hand as fast as I could.

“Master, I sense Galatea’s aura in the immediate area. She is incapacitated,” Fi reported, her voice metallic inside the blade.

“Oh, there you go again with your analyses,” Ghirahim quipped, rolling his eyes. “Statistics and observations won’t help her now.”

“Ghirahim, you’re supposed to be helping us! What are you doing?!” I cried out. Chuckling darkly, he snapped his fingers and disappeared without a word. I looked around frantically to see where he was, but it was in vain. Suddenly, his laughter rang out from every direction at once.

“You foolish child. I am only doing what I was meant to do.”

Confused as to what he meant, I gripped the handle of my sword cautiously. Without warning, he appeared right behind me and grabbed my shoulders.

“Serving my  _ true _ master.” 

He punctuated his words by flicking his long tongue out by my face. Disgusted, I recoiled and wrestled out of his grip, only to fall backwards into a Moblin. This elicited a laugh from Ghirahim.

“The sky child’s descendant truly takes after him,” he stated. “But there’s one key difference between you and him.” As he spoke, he drew nearer to me. Once he was close enough, he stooped down to where I lay helpless on the ground. “Do you want to know what that difference is?”

I didn’t say anything. He sighed.

“Well, I suppose you’ll never know, then.”

With that, he snapped his fingers, and everything went black.


	13. Zoran

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaannnnd we're back to our favorite prince
> 
> and this time he has PANTS
> 
> also sassy loftwing
> 
> i'm sorry this is late again, but i've had to write like six essays in the past week :( i'll try to have updates be more regular from here on out, especially since spring break is coming up. but hey, we only have a few chapters left! stay with me, it'll get good. i promise :) thank you for reading!

After the girls left, I sat outside the temple for a while, waiting for the Loftwing. Impa exited the temple door and joined me in waiting. I told her of everything that had happened in the Chamber of the Sages. She and I talked about other things for a long time before finally, I heard a bird’s cry high above the clouds.

A brilliant red bird descended from the heavens and landed on the ground in front of us. Its large bill had an intricate design on it and its feathers were tipped with white. It looked at me and knelt to the ground.

“Well, Impa, this is where I leave you,” I said, turning to the general.

“Wait a minute, your highness. That is hardly proper riding attire,” she replied, taking a bundle of cloth out of her satchel. “I went back to the castle while you were in the Chamber both to check on your father and get these. Real pants. I had a feeling that you would need them sooner or later.”

“You’re right. If it’s alright with the bird, I’ll change,” I said, looking to the bird for approval. It nodded and sat on the ground while I ran into the temple to get dressed.

 

I stepped into the sunlight after exiting the temple. The outfit Impa had brought for me consisted of a white shirt, brown pants, and darker brown boots, with a red jacket with gold accents on the cuffs. I decided to keep the tiara from my older outfit, if only because it completed the aesthetic nicely. The Loftwing looked me over as if judging my outfit, then kneeled down again to let me on.

“Good luck, your highness,” Impa said. “I wish I could join you, but I do not believe it is my place.”

“Thank you, Impa,” I replied, getting onto the Loftwing. “Be safe, and stay here until the girls come back.” With that, the Loftwing took off towards the cloud barrier in the sky.

 

The ride into the sky was rocky, to say the least. I spent the first ten minutes trying to hold on while the Loftwing simply circled around the barrier waiting for me to get my act together. Once I had finally gotten a good foothold, the Loftwing rose up past the clouds and into the world above.

The sunlight hit me immediately when we ascended. When I got used to it, I saw a vast array of small islands and rocks with a very large outcropping in the center. The Loftwing guided me towards that island. It circled over it for a while, and I finally understood that it wanted me to jump off. So I did that, screaming a little. I landed as best I could on the balls of my feet, then fell on my butt. The Loftwing landed beside me.

“Is this the Isle of Songs?” I asked the bird. It hit me on the head with its bill. “I guess that’s a no.” 

We had landed in what looked to have been a plaza at one point. It was now deserted, with the stone overtaken by grass and the stone tower to the right crumbling. A beam of light from the top of the tower shot across the sky into the distance. I looked around at the ruins of shops and houses, amazed that a civilization could even exist at this altitude. I looked towards the bird, confused.

“What am I supposed to do here?” The bird only blinked and settled down to rest.

I sighed and made my way across the plaza. I was stopped in the middle by a bright flash of light and a voice.

_ “Prince Zoran...To access the Isle of Songs, you must prove yourself worthy to the Spirit of the Sky…” _

A circular design had appeared on the ground in front of me. It was intricate and looked as though I should plunge a blade into it. I looked around as if the source of the voice would appear in front of me.

_ “This is a Trial Gate. Once you step onto it, I will transport you to the Silent Realm, where you must strengthen your soul…” _

“Doesn’t exactly sound inviting…” I whispered under my breath.

_ “Yes...but we don’t exactly have a choice…” _

Embarrassed that the voice had heard me, I stepped onto the Gate. A layer of white light enveloped me as I was transported away.

 

The light dropped me off in the same area it had left me, or so I thought. It had actually dropped me in a very similar area. The new location had an ethereal feel to it, and the faint sound of bells echoed through the air. I looked around and saw numerous statues with weapons easily twice the size of Impa’s in every direction, and little beings with lanterns floated in the air around the small town. What’s more, the town had returned to its former glory; buildings no longer crumbled and banners stood tall.

_ “This is the Silent Realm. In ancient times, this existed as a means for the hero to strengthen his spirit. Now it shall help you prove yourself to the spirit of the sky…” _

“What do you mean by that?” I asked. “It doesn’t look like there’s anything too menacing here…”

I swore I heard the voice laugh a little before continuing.

_ “That may seem true...but once you step out of that circle, you shall find that it is the complete opposite of your assumptions…” _

I inhaled sharply. Whatever this was, it wasn’t going to be good.

_ “I shall now explain the challenge. Scattered around this realm are Tears of the Goddess. There are fifteen of them in all. You must collect all of them and put them into this vessel…” _

As the voice spoke, my chest began to glow. It produced a small plant-like object with fifteen small round containers hanging off the sides.

_ “That is your Spirit Vessel. It will serve as the container for the Tears…” _

“Is that it? Seems pretty easy…”

_ “Ah, but I have not explained the full challenge...While collecting the tears, you must avoid the Guardians...those statues you see around the town. Once you step outside of that circle, they will activate, and try to hunt you down…” _

“Okay that sounds horrifying.”

_ “Do not fear. Once you pick up a tear, you will have ninety seconds of peace to find the next one. However...if a being with a Lantern sees you, or if you step into a pool of Waking Water...that time will immediately be up until you find the next tear…” _

“Alright. Is that all?”

_ “Almost...If you pick up a Light Fruit, you can illuminate the location of the Tears. Now...good luck, Prince Zoran…” _

With that, the voice faded. I steeled my courage and looked around for a first target. There was a bright object across the plaza which I could only assume was a Tear. I stepped out of the circle cautiously and everything went to hell.

The moment my foot touched the ground outside of the circle, the entire town turned a sickening shade of blood red. I looked around and saw the statues’ eyes light up. Then they started running towards me with their weapons. Screaming like a baby, I ran as fast as I could towards the tear. I got there just in time and the Guardians froze in place. I breathed a heavy sigh of relief and looked around for the next Tear. 

I couldn’t see one anywhere, but I did see a small fruit on the ground. I picked that up, and suddenly, beams of light shot into the air. I saw one on top of the tower and decided that that was a good place to start. I ran over to the tower, being careful to not get myself caught by the lantern bearers, and started climbing the ladder.

When I reached the top, I nearly fell off, because a deactivated Guardian was right there. I caught my breath, stepped around him, and picked up the next Tear. I went back down the way I came and started to search for the others.

 

After what felt like an hour of having my soul destroyed, starting over, and crying more than my fair share, I finally got all of the Tears. I was dropped off in the plaza again.

_ “Prince Zoran...You have proved yourself to the spirit of the sky. Take your Loftwing into the Thunderhead, and he will meet you there to guide you further…” _

I nodded, then looked back at the Loftwing. It gave me a look that said “finally” and stretched its wings, then kneeled down for me to get on. I obliged, and it took off, following the beam of light towards the Thunderhead.


	14. Zoran

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry this chapter is so short! i couldn't think of anything to add to it so i'm just gonna publish it as is
> 
> also sassy loftwing. best

As we approached the Thunderhead, I couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. Sure, I had just had my soul destroyed a couple times, but that was my soul. I didn’t want to die for real.

The bird kept a steady course as we pierced the gigantic cloud. Inside, the area was drastically different; instead of a clear sky, the area was gray and cloudy. It was also raining, and strange parasite-looking creatures swarmed the area. The Loftwing skillfully avoided them and carried me down to a small island crested with a rainbow.

“Is  _ this _ the Isle of Songs?” I asked the bird. I got the same response as last time. “Guess not…” I said, rubbing my head. I started to look around before I heard a great chuckle below me.

I walked to the edge of the island, looked down, and immediately stumbled backwards as a giant whale surfaced from below the clouds. It looked at me lazily with its visible eye and chuckled again.

“Surprised? I can only assume so, having spent your entire life on the Surface...I am Levias, the spirit of the sky.”

I bowed at the waist in respect. “Greetings, Levias. I am Prince Zoran, bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom--”

“Oh, come now. You’ve been through a lot. No need to pay attention to formality,” Levias interjected.

I sighed. “Thank you. I need to get to the Isle of Songs and find the Goddess Harp.”

“Ah, so Hylia has need of the harp’s power again? Something terrible must be happening down there...but no matter. I will open the Isle of Songs for you. No need to solve its puzzles,” the great whale replied.

“Thank you, Levias,” I said, bowing again out of habit. Levias floated (swam?) up to a larger island and nudged it gently with his head. I heard the echo of rooms shifting resonate within the cloud. Levias turned to me after this was done.

“There you are. The Isle is open for you. Your Loftwing will take you there. Good luck, and may the goddess be with you in your task below the surface,” he said before sinking back down beneath the clouds. 

I looked back towards the Loftwing, who was kneeling again. Taking that as a sign, I got on, and it took off towards the large island. We landed near a small bridge, and the Loftwing motioned for me to enter. I walked across the bridge and through a small door on a large building.

The room I entered was dark. I stepped forward, attempting to stay in a straight line so that I wouldn’t be surprised. As I stepped forward onto a small platform, the area suddenly lit up around me. Three small lights, one red, one green, and one blue, danced around the area until they spiraled around each other in the center, becoming one ball of bright white light. This ball of light dispersed, revealing a small golden harp floating in the air. It floated down towards me and I took it, examining its shape and composition. The metal was cool against my fingers, and there were carvings of birds in the gold body of the harp. I looked up for anything else from the lights, but they had disappeared. I took that as my sign to leave.

 

The Loftwing picked me up outside and we flew out of the Thunderhead and back through the barrier. It didn’t look good down there.

Darkness had surrounded the area around the Sealed Temple. I couldn’t see through the dark fog, so when the Loftwing dropped me off, I was immediately on guard. I looked around the area for any sign of life, and it was confirmed that there was something out there when it hit me on the head, knocking me unconscious.


	15. Galatea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry this was late! i've been trying to get my life together and it's not rly working but WE'RE ALMOST DONE so

We had been sitting in the dungeon for a while when Zoran was dragged down there. What’s more, he was actually wearing pants.

“Dang. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in trousers before,” I said as he was being shackled to the wall. The Lizalfos who was cuffing him screeched at me to shut up and left.

“Welcome to the party, your highness,” Leiah stated. He looked down the line at me, Leiah, and Impa with a confused face.

“Where are we?” he asked.

“Well, it’s a bit of a long story,” I started to explain. “After I finished my task at Faron, I took Ghirahim, the sword, to go help Leiah with her mission. We went through the Earth Temple, beat a boss, all that good stuff. And then...” Some kind of look must have crossed my features, because Zoran and Leiah were both looking concerned. “Ghirahim and I went out to secure resources and food, but he betrayed me. He summoned a horde of monsters and they overpowered me. Before I was knocked out, he said something like ‘serving his true master’.” I sighed dejectedly. “This is weird. I didn’t think I was this attached to him. This is the first time I’ve ever felt really terrified.”

Zoran looked morose. “This isn’t good, then. If what Hylia said about him is true, he will be a powerful enemy.”

Speak of the devil, not to make a pun, Ghirahim appeared in the room the moment after. I looked at his face for any sign of any emotion. He looked back at me with nothing. With a snap of his fingers, bowls of unidentifiable food appeared by our feet and our wrists were freed. While the others stooped to eat, I continued to stare at Ghirahim, who suddenly refused to look at me.

For once in my life, I felt powerless.

 

We stayed in the dungeon for what felt like weeks. Ghirahim would bring us food every so often; I gave up trying to get a reaction from him after a few days. All the while, we made plans to escape.

In a moment of oversight, Deimos left the pieces of the Triforce with us. That was the main part of our plan; we would use the power given to us by the Triforce to break our restraints and Impa’s, then rush out to find our weapons and Deimos, somehow avoiding Ghirahim in the process. We simply needed to wait until Leiah could sense Fi’s location. Luckily, that day came sooner rather than later, and as soon as Ghirahim had fed us and disappeared, we set to work.

It didn’t take much for the cuffs to break; they were only made of rusting iron, after all. For someone with so much power, Deimos was really a poor planner. After Impa’s restraints were broken, we ran out the doors at the top of the stairs.

“I can sense Fi in a room at the top of the palace!” she exclaimed, running through the stark white halls.

“Lead the way,” I replied,  following Leiah’s direction. I hesitated for a moment, thinking of what would happen if Ghirahim caught us, but I quickly shook the thought from my head. He wasn’t important right now.

 

The dash to our weapons wasn’t nearly as exciting as I thought it would be. No guards intercepted us, and the feeling of danger didn’t grace our presence. The only thing raising our adrenaline was the franticness with which Leiah looked for a set of stairs.

We made a sharp left around a corner and suddenly skidded to a stop. Ghirahim stood on a set of stairs, flocked by two Moblins and a Stalfos.

“You know, Galatea, you’re not nearly as smart as you give yourself credit for,” he stated, a hint of a cocky smirk on his features. “Did you honestly think this would be so easy?”

“Well, with someone as supposedly competent as you at the reins, I can definitely say I had higher hopes,” I shot right back. He frowned for a second, but regained his composure and scoffed.

“I see that despite your time in the dungeon, you’ve kept that silver tongue untarnished. But no matter.” He flipped his hair and took a step closer to me. “This is the end of your run to freedom, Galatea.”

As he inched closer, I wracked my brain to formulate a plan. Suddenly, an idea came to me. It was dangerous, and could potentially get me killed, but if successful, it would allow us past without serious injury. I turned around and made eye contact with Leiah, trying to let her know that I had the situation under control. Turning back to Ghirahim, I put on my best flattering and submissive smile, though it kinda made me retch on the inside.

“You’re  _ absolutely _ right, Ghirahim,” I said, stepping closer to him. He looked confused. “I should have known that you were smarter than little old me.” I brushed a hand across his shoulder and draped it around the back of his neck. “What’s more, I should have realized a lot of...other things about you as well.”

The flattery was definitely going to his head. The hint of a smirk from before grew into a conceited smile as he gripped the wrist I had on his shoulder with one arm and put the other around my waist. Somehow, I was able to resist blushing from the closeness, and I kept up the act.

“Really now, Galatea?” he asked, turning me away from the others. I looked at them from the corner of my eye and saw them steel themselves. They’d caught on to my plan. “Do tell me of these new revelations you’ve had.”

“Well, for starters, you’re incredibly strong,” I began, taking my hand from his shoulder and caressing his face with it. “You’re also cunning, and eloquent, and so skilled with that blade of yours, not to mention  _ devilishly  _ handsome.”

His smile grew and he gripped my waist tighter. I wasn’t sure exactly where this would head, but I was pretty sure I was fine with the direction it was going. After all, he  _ was _ pretty damn attractive.

“I am, aren’t I?” he stated. “I’m surprised it took you this long to arrive at this realization.”

“Did it really?” I asked. “I was always so helpless compared to you. Even now, I’ve fallen into your trap again.” This remark elicited a chuckle, and before anything else could happen, a blast of fire hit Ghirahim in the back, knocking us both into the stairs.

“Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me,” I quipped. As the others ran past me, I heard Zoran frantically apologizing.

“Nice aim, little prince,” Ghirahim growled, frowning again. I struggled against his grip, but his arms were like iron. “And I suppose this was all part of some grand plan? Truth be told, I’m a little hurt that your words weren’t honest.”

“Well, actually--”

“Enough,” he interrupted. “This is the last time I will tolerate any of this--”

Before he finished his sentence, I kneed him in the chest and flipped us over so that I was on top. “That’s enough of that, loverboy. If you’ll excuse me, I have a world that needs saving, with or without you.” Without waiting for a response, I leapt up and dashed up the stairs, leaving a stunned Ghirahim behind me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god i had so much fun writing that


	16. Leiah

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhh ok here we go
> 
> one more chapter then an epilogue, and then we're done! thank you so much for sticking it out with me. i love everyone who's given kudos, commented, everything. :) enjoy!

We ran up the stairs as fast as we could, Zoran clearing out any guards that stepped in front of us with Din’s Fire. Galatea was nimbly dodging attacks while Impa and I weren’t so lucky. When we finally got to the top floor, we had more than our fair share of burns and bruises. I closed my eyes to sense for Fi again, and her presence radiated from behind a locked door. Galatea quickly took a pin from her hair and picked open the lock, kicking down the door. She and I made a mad dash for our weapons, and Impa wasn’t far behind. Galatea drew her swords and steeled herself.

“Okay. Now for the main event.”

We made it quickly down the stairs and out to the back of the palace, where Deimos was giving orders to Ghirahim. She was levitating in the air in front of a large, black ball. Her once-white robes were now pitch black, and strange runes covered her whole body.

“You incompetent _fool!_ How could you let them escape?!” she said in a deep, almost reptilian voice. “This is your final warning. You have a final chance to redeem yourself, and that is by capturing them. And this time, I want you to _KILL THEM!_ ” she yelled, pointing towards the door. Ghirahim looked towards the door where we stood and honestly jumped a little, causing Deimos to look at us as well. She looked furious, but quickly collected herself.

“Give it up, Deimos!” I yelled. “We’re going to stop you!”

Deimos simply laughed. “And how are you going to do that? If you hadn’t noticed, I’m the most powerful being in the world.”

“That may be true, but we have courage!” I yelled, displaying my Triforce mark.

“And wisdom!” Zoran added, displaying his hand.

Both of us turned our heads to Galatea, expecting her to continue. She looked at us, then sighed. “Fine. Okay. We have power too.” Punctuating her words, she rolled her eyes and held up her hand almost apathetically, displaying her Triforce mark.

Deimos laughed at us again. “You think the power of your goddess can stop me? I’m far more powerful than Demise _ever_ was!” With that, she shot a ball of dark energy at us, knocking down Zoran and leaving the rest of us barely standing. She snapped her fingers and Ghirahim teleported in front of us, a blade in his hand. Before any of us could move, Galatea stepped in front of him.

“Your opponent is me, Ghirahim,” she stated coldly before turning to us. “Go ahead and get started with Deimos. I’ve got a score to settle.”

Ghirahim frowned and snapped his fingers, causing a bright platform of diamonds to form under them. It rose a good twenty feet in the air, and as it did, I followed it with my eyes. I tore my eyes away when Zoran put a hand on my shoulder.

“We can’t focus on them right now,” he said. “We need to attack as soon as possible.” With that, he ran forward with the Goddess Harp.

“Master Leiah, I suggest using Skyward Strikes as you did in the Earth Spring to hit Deimos and knock her out of the air,” Fi said from the sword.

“Got it,” I said, charging up the blade with the power of light. I sent a strike in Deimos’s direction and it hit, stunning her a little bit. I charged up one more and sent it forward, successfully knocking Deimos out of the air. I started slashing at her with the sword and Zoran hit her with spells from the harp until she got up and knocked me back with a dark magic attack. I kept charging up Skyward Strikes and hitting Deimos with them. After a few more rounds of Skyward Striking and attacking, Deimos knocked both of us back with a powerful attack.

“ _ENOUGH!_ ” Deimos yelled. She levitated into the air again. “I will not be held back by fools like _you!_ ” She began charging up another dark attack, and Zoran and I started backing up.

“Now’s the time!” I yelled. “We need to seal her away for good! Channel all of your power towards her!”

I held out my hand and Zoran held out his. I looked over to where Galatea was fighting with Ghirahim; they were still fighting it out. Not wasting any time, I hit Ghirahim with a Skyward Strike, temporarily immobilizing him. Galatea looked startled for a moment, then looked down to where we were and got the idea. She whispered something to Ghirahim, then jumped down off of the platform to join us, raising her hand. The individual Triforce marks shone brightly, and before us, the symbol appeared larger and even more vibrant.

“Aim for Deimos!” Zoran shouted. We moved our hands, and the Triforce in front of us moved with them. We locked on to Deimos, who was still charging her attack.

“NOW!” I exclaimed. We forced our hands forward, and the Triforce shot towards Deimos, wrapping around her and disappearing, taking Deimos with it. The darkness in the surrounding area dispersed and winked out in individual blots. We stood there for a second in awe before I yelled out something along the lines of “WE DID IT AAAAAAH” and hugging Zoran, probably suffocating him. Galatea laughed and joined in the hug, and eventually Zoran hugged back. We stayed like that for a while before breaking apart.

“Now what?” I sighed, suddenly breathless from yelling. Galatea turned to look at the rest of the area.

“We take care of business,” she answered. “We need to clean up the mess Deimos made so that there’s no danger to the surrounding area.”

“Galatea’s right,” Zoran said. “It would be dangerous if any of these monsters were to leak into town. We need to take down this palace...thing, and rid the area of creatures.”

“Let’s get to it then!” I replied, running towards the palace.


	17. Galatea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALMOST THERE KIDDOS BE STRONG

After Leiah ran back into the palace to take care of the monsters, Zoran walked back to talk with Impa about some royal thing or another. I was about to follow Leiah into the palace when I noticed Ghirahim making his platform disappear and returning to the ground, emotionless again. Concerned, I walked over to him.

“What’s with the long face?” I asked, startling him. He jumped a little, looked at me, then sighed, turning away.

“Why are you even speaking to me?” he asked, clearly judging me by the tone of his voice.

“Because I want to?” I said, confused. He sighed again.

“Yes, but why?” he restated. “I betrayed you. I tried to kill you. I could have played a part in the destruction of the world. Why would you respect me after that?” He turned away again. “You should have seen me for what I truly am by now. I’m not suited for the work of the Goddess.”

There was an awkward silence between us for a moment. I put my hand on his shoulder, and he turned around. It was awkward since he was about a head taller than me, but that didn’t matter.

“Look. It does hurt that you betrayed me. That’s not going to change. But I’m not going to abandon you because of that.”

He gave me a confused look. “Why not?”

“Honestly? Because I admire you,” I said. He quirked an eyebrow at my comment. “What I said back on the steps wasn’t exactly wrong. You’re strong, intelligent, and refined; the attractiveness is a bonus, but I digress. What’s more, you’re one of the only people that I can be myself with. With Zoran and Impa, I need to be suffocatingly formal, and Leiah’s alright, but she can only tolerate so much. You, I can joke with, and you’ll just take it, and not in a bad way. What I’m saying is you tolerate me, and as someone with no family, I need that.” I paused for a moment before adding, “It doesn’t matter that you’re not suited for the work of the Goddess. I mean, you suit me just fine, and you don’t have to change yourself for that.”

There was more awkward silence between us before he spoke again.

“You are simultaneously one of the greatest and one of the oddest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.”

I only laughed. “If that’s a sign you’re alright with reconciling, thank you. Well, since I’m assuming that you don’t want to stick around in Skyview for another thousand years or so, how’s about you stick with me? I’ve been needing an exploring buddy for a while now.”

“As long as you promise never to call me ‘buddy’ again, I accept,” he said. I smiled and hugged him, and he froze up a little, unsure of what to do. I looked up at him with an eyebrow raised.

“Have you never been hugged before?” I asked jokingly.

“It is not something that demons commonly participate in,” he replied, completely serious.

“Okay, well you can hug me back,” I said, trying my best not to laugh. Before he could, however, we were interrupted.

“JUST KISS ALREADY!” Leiah yelled from the top floor balcony. We laughed for a little bit, looking up at Leiah. Eventually, Zoran and Impa joined in, and we were all a laughing mess before we realized that we had stuff to do. I grabbed Ghirahim’s hand and dragged him into the castle with me to help Leiah rid it of monsters.

 

After the palace had been rid of monsters, there was the small matter of deciding how to take it down. Zoran, Ghirahim and I were walking through the main room in the front.

“Hmmm, this room is so pretty…” I mused absentmindedly. “These windows are absolutely lovely.”

“It’s a shame that we have to take something this gorgeous down,” Ghirahim replied. I turned to him and nodded, sighing.

“If only we could figure out some way to repurpose the building,” Zoran added. “It’s built adjacent to the temple, so it’s not like it would interfere with religious services. But how could we use it?”

I stood in thought for a second. Then, I realized something and turned to Zoran. “You know, I still don’t have a place to live. I could use this building.”

“By yourself? That’s a lot of space for one person,” he replied.

“Yeah, but I have a lot of stuff,” I countered. “Remember? I ‘stole’ a bunch of artifacts.”

“Right, right. I forgot you were a thief by profession,” Zoran responded. I laughed.

“If I may offer a suggestion,” Ghirahim interjected. “This building could be converted into a museum, with Galatea as the curator. She could put her artifacts on display and share her passion with the others in the area.”

My eyes lit up at that suggestion. “Oh, please? Can I do that? I promise I’ll pay dues or whatever!”

Zoran laughed. “Well, you would have to think of display ideas, get rid of the monster smell, and figure out how many artifacts to have on display at once...and you would have to bring in new things every once in a while.”

I put my hand on his shoulder. “Zoran. Who do you think you’re talking to?”

He laughed again. “I suppose you’re right. Well, it’s fine with me.”

“Yesssss!” I exclaimed. “Ghirahim, we’re business owners!”

“A dream come true,” he said sarcastically. I punched him in the arm.

Leiah hopped down the stairs in the center at that moment. “What are you guys so happy about?”

“I’m taking this gorgeous building and making it a museum!” I exclaimed.

“Oh, so you can convert more kids from my village into nerds like you?” she countered. There was a good amount of laughter between us before we fell silent.

“Well, I must be returning to the palace,” Zoran said, breaking the stillness.

“And I assume my mom’s worried sick about me,” Leiah replied.

“I need to start moving my stuff from Lanayru,” I added. We stood there for a second.

“It feels kinda weird, going home after all this,” Leiah said. Zoran and I nodded our heads. “It just seems like there’s more to do.”

“Well, you’re always welcome to help me out,” I said. She laughed at me.

Zoran sighed. “I forgot all about my father while on this journey...I hope he’s alright.”

There was another moment of awkward silence before I put my hand on his shoulder. “Hey, we’re here for you.”

Leiah smiled. “Yeah, that’s one thing that came out of this. We’re all friends now, and nothing can change that.”

I grinned. “As cliche as that sounds, I think it’s pretty accurate.”

Zoran sighed. “What am I ever going to do without you two?”


	18. Epilogue: Leiah

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY THIS IS A DAY LATE but it's production week for our show (we open on friday!) and rehearsal went until like 10 last night :( but we're done! thanks again for reading this story and bearing with me throughout the whole thing. it really means a lot! i'll try to keep writing as much as i possibly can. i love you guys <3

The sound of the seven o’clock bell woke me up. I yawned and stretched, stepping out of my bed to put on my uniform. It was six months after our triumph over Deimos, and Impa had given me a position in the royal guard. I got to keep the Master Sword, although Fi had gotten into a habit of keeping her comments to herself lately. Since all of the monsters had been taken care of, there wasn’t really much else to do except guard against everyday misdemeanors. Odd to have the bearer of the Triforce of Courage be doing that, but I’m not complaining.

I stepped out of my room once I had gotten my uniform on, only to be stopped by Impa.

“Good morning, Leiah. King Zoran has requested your presence in the throne room,” she stated simply, gesturing for me to follow her. Zoran’s father eventually died, and he had to step up to the throne. I still visited him from time to time just to chat, and I suspected that today was like any other.

When we reached the throne room, Zoran stood up and smiled. “Hey, Leiah,” he said, walking towards me.

“‘Sup, Zoran?” I asked. Informality wasn’t really a concern between us.

“You’ve been working really hard lately. I want you to take the day off and visit your family,” he stated.

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. “Is that all?” I asked. He smiled.

“You’ve always been able to see right through me. This is also an excuse for me to ask you to check on Galatea and Ghirahim. I’ve given your family free passes to their museum for the day, and this is the day she’s back working,” he responded.

“So I have to make sure she’s not slacking off?”

“More like make sure she’s doing alright. Since I became king, I haven’t had much time to see her, and I think it would make her happy to have a visit from some old friends. I’ll try to stop by around the end of the day if I can.”

I nodded. “Will do, your highness.”

 

My family was ecstatic to see me again. After eight solid minutes of suffocating hugs, I was finally able to tell them the plan. Mom and Dad had to stay home and prepare the night’s dinner, but my brothers were all psyched to go to the museum, especially Vio. He clutched my hand tightly as we walked to the temple.

Despite taking on the gargantuan task of creating a museum with only Ghirahim to help her, Galatea had business up and running within the month. Countless relics from the era of the sky and every period onwards were always on display, and Galatea was almost always discovering something new to put up. Every day of the week except Tuesday, she was out exploring with Ghirahim, and the museum was well-staffed with volunteer workers from the surrounding village.

I pushed open the door to the museum and showed the worker inside our passes, then stepped into the main room. Galatea was there, inspecting a window display. I called out her name and she turned around, smiling when she saw us.

“Well, if it isn’t Leiah and her wolf pack!” she said. My younger brothers giggled at the notion of being wolves. “What brings you here today?”

“We wanted to check out the museum,” I replied. “Any way we could get a tour in?”

“Hmmm…I don’t usually give tours,” she said melodramatically, playing up the situation for the younger ones. “But I  _ suppose _ I could make an exception just this once for my favorite little munchkin!” she decided, bending down to ruffle Vio’s hair. Vio giggled ecstatically. “Ghirahim! Get down here, we’re giving a tour!”

Ghirahim appeared suddenly, as he always did, receiving ooh’s and ah’s from my brothers. “You called?” Galatea smiled.

“Yep! Leiah’s family is here and they want a tour!” she explained. She then turned to us and gestured to Ghirahim. “Here is my first exhibit.” Ghirahim rolled his eyes and put a hand on his hip. “This is Demon Lord Ghirahim. He’s the spirit of the blade of Demise, the ancient demon king in the legend of the sky. Also a huge nerd, but more on that later. Let’s get on with the tour!”

 

The tour lasted for basically the entire day, as Galatea decided that she was going to go into detail about almost every artifact. Ghirahim tried to pull her along at first, but realized that it was useless after a while and just let her ramble on, making the occasional snide remark. Galatea always played up the theatrical aspects of the tales for the younger brothers, while throwing in some jokes that only me and my older brothers would understand.

By the time the tour ended, the sun was setting. We finished in the room we started in, and the big glass windows Galatea had installed let a soft orange glow encompass the room.

“And there you have it!” Galatea said, concluding the tour. “Any questions?” She giggled when Vio raised his hand high in the air and jumped up and down. “Alright, Vio?”

“Are you and Ghirahim married?”

Galatea’s hand flew to her mouth to prevent her laughter from escaping. “No, Vio. We’re not,” she answered. Ghirahim raised a nonexistant eyebrow at her.

“Really now?” he asked. “Six months ago, you would have said differently.” Galatea couldn’t answer, laughing too hard to form coherent sentences.

“The answer is yes, Vio,” I explained. “They just don’t want to admit it.” Exaggerated groans and laughter came from the direction of the two.

“Do I even want to know what’s going on?” I turned around to see Zoran standing in the doorway. He looked past me at Galatea, who was being pushed into Ghirahim by Vio. She tried to turn around but tripped over the small boy, falling flat on her face. I giggled.

“Just another lovers’ quarrel,” I replied, walking over to Galatea to help her up. Zoran laughed and walked towards us.

“Geez, Zoran, how long has it been?” Galatea asked. “Seems like it’s been forever since the three of us were seen in the same place.”

“Yeah,” he replied. “I guess we’ve just been too busy.”

“I can’t decide if that’s a good thing or a bad thing,” I said. The two laughed.

“I guess you’re right,” Zoran said. “It does mean that no cataclysmic danger has been threatening Hyrule for a while.”

“Yeah,” I replied. We stood there in silence for a little until Galatea piped up.

“Hey, I just realized that even though we all had little individual adventures, we never really went somewhere as a team,” she said. “How would you guys feel about joining me on an expedition soon?”

“Honestly? I would love that,” Zoran responded. “The castle gets way too stuffy for my liking.”

“If Impa allows it, I’m down for anything,” I said. Galatea smiled.

“Then it’s settled! I’ll set up a date for next week. How’s about that?” she asked. Zoran nodded.

“That sounds great,” I said. “I think a relaxing adventure is just what we need.”


End file.
